Dark Angel
by starrynightdragon
Summary: Sakura walks into a job interview, not knowing that the person she might be working for is the same man who saved her from a horrible incident six months ago. Sorry, I suck at summaries. I promise if you actually read it, it's really good. sasuxsaku. r&r!
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! I kind of lost the inspiration for my last fic and decided to start a new one. I haven't decided if I will finish it. So here is a warning, this chapter is really intense soooo….yeah. You have been warned.

Woman POV

She was walking home from work; it was dark, with filtered moonbeams across the sidewalk every few feet. She hummed tunelessly to herself, reveling in the peace and quiet of the night after a hard day's work. "Sakura!"cried a voice. She jumped, and turned pink locks swishing in front of her face. She relaxed as she realized it was merely her co-worker, and best friend Ino. "Sakura! You forgot your purse!" Sakura smiled, and exhaled in the chilly night air. Her friend caught up to her. "Baka! Always forgetting…" she shook her head, and punched her friend playfully. "Ne, am I your slave?"

Sakura took the bag from her. "Thanks Ino. See you tomorrow!" She waved and walked off. Ino walked back to the building she had come out of. Sakura swung her bag as she walked. Suddenly, she felt as if she was being watched. She turned her head. There were three men following her. She looked ahead again, quickly, and walked faster. Now she could hear their footsteps. She broke into a light jog. One of the men wolf whistled. They were closer now. Her jog sped, almost a run. Her heart pumped faster, and she could hear her breath coming fast and heavy.

Reaching a hand into her pocket, she tried to find her cellphone…and tripped. The heel of her shoe caught in a crack, and she fell forward, bracing herself with her handbag. The strap snapped. "Shit." she cursed under her breath. She looked behind her again. The men had almost caught up to her. Now they were only about twenty feet away.

Hurrying to her feet, she tried to run again when suddenly a hand caught her wrist. She whipped around. "Where you going beautiful?" asked the man leering at her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath; it enveloped her in a foul smelling cloud. She pulled at her wrist but he didn't let go. "Let me go!" she said angrily, frightened. He pulled her closer to him, stumbling as she went. Now his arm was around her waist, her face right next to his. She could see the unshaven stubble on his cheek.

The other two men laughed unpleasantly. "Time for some fun." Said one of them. Sakura inhaled sharply and gagged on the smell of sake and rum. She was afraid now, very afraid. The man holding her wrist without warning spun her around and twisted her arms high behind her back. Pain shot through her shoulders like a hot poker. She screamed loudly before the second man jammed his knee hard into her stomach. She doubled over, all the air knocked out of her in a great WHOOSH!

No sooner was that over when a hand slapped backhand across her face. She fell to the ground face stinging. Right then a rain of blows started to fall on her. As one of them kicked her stomach she heard "Be careful of the important stuff!" She heard something crunch and groaned as the pain hit. She suspected her ribs might be broken. A fist knocked her head back onto the concrete. Pain exploded in her head and stars whizzed in front of her eyes. Another blow to her stomach. One, two, three. Hands on her throat constricting, choking. She sputtered, pain resounding through her whole body. Her hands clawed weakly at her captors fingers.

Finally she was released, and the beating stopped. She lay limp on the ground, barely conscious. A pair of arms hauled her to her feet, and shoved her along. She half walked half staggered her way to a parked van.

Two of the men yanked the back doors open while the third one picked up and threw her bodily inside. She hit the floor with a thud, and mercifully blacked out. When she came to, she was lying awkwardly on a hard surface, arms and legs tangled together. Her whole body throbbed as a whole. She opened her eyes. It was so dark that it made no difference. She was weakly trying to push herself into a sitting position when a light fell across the floor, blinding her with its brightness.

One of the men grabbed her upper arm and dragged her out of the back of the van. He pulled her into a dark alleyway. Her heart pounded and blood rushed in her ears. She was too weak to resist. The man stopped suddenly, and shoved her in front of him. She collapsed on her knees on a flattened piece of cardboard. Her eyes were now adjusted to the dim lighting, and she looked up, trembling.

In front of her, there was a wall with two loops coming out of it of some unknown material. She looked to her right and to her horror saw the other two men walking her way. One of them had a smile on his face. She tried to back away, but was stopped by the man who had taken her from the van. He yanked her to her feet again, and threw her backwards against the wall. One man grabbed her wrists and restrained her, while the other grabbed her legs immobilizing her completely.

The third man, who she called Big Nose in her head, was bigger than the other two, and he came slowly towards her, in no hurry, like a predator to prey. She began to whimper, and a filthy rag was stuffed inside her mouth. She heard the snick of a kunai. Her eyes widened and she caught a glimpse of it in the half light. He was still smiling. She tried to break free and was rewarded with an elbow into her stomach. He raised the kunai and carefully slit open her blouse. Her knees trembled and she would have fallen if she had not been restrained. Big Nose pulled the two sides far apart, and breathed out at the sight of her chest.

He inhaled in again, closing his eyes like he was enjoying every minute of it. Then, he placed the tip of the kunai on her pale quivering stomach. She rolled her eyes up, thinking, _This is the end. _But he did not stab her. Instead, he drew a line with the knife, cutting ever so carefully. Her body jerked, and she tilted her head back hard, unable to scream. Pain like she had never felt ripped across her abdomen. The flesh remained together for a second and then the blood began to pour out. He laughed then; a low, evil sound. He then put the knife to her throat. She began to beg in her mind. _Please stop! PLEASE! _He pressed the edge into her skin. There was fire in her throat. He removed it without killing her. He nodded to the men holding her down, and they let go.

She swayed for a moment and then fell to her hands and knees onto the cardboard clutching at her stomach. The men chuckled together. "Now the real fun starts!" she heard one of them say. She shook her head violently, trying to pull her blouse together. "We'll take it in turns Ichiou." Said one of them. _Kami sama, please don't let them rape me! _She prayed. _I'm still a virgin! _

Hands grasped her shoulders and pushed her onto her back. Her shirt flopped open. Ichiou squatted next to her while the other two restrained her again. He took the knife and sliced through the straps of her bra. Then he gently, almost lovingly removed it. Her breasts rose like pale mountains in the dimness. He began to breathe more heavily. He ran his hands over her body, over her breasts, her stomach. She shuddered with each touch both from horror and from pain. Her stomach burned, and each breath was sheer torture. Bending his head like he was going to kiss her navel, he stuck out his tongue and licked a line up her stomach between her breasts to her lips. She shuddered again, disgusted. He moaned. He bent his head again, and began to gently suck on her nipple forcing it up.

She struggled, but the men kept her down. He moaned again, and sucked on the other nipple licking it, and nipping it, always stroking her body. Shoving his face close to hers, he pulled the rag out with his teeth, and kissed her hard, biting her lip so hard that it bled. She couldn't breathe, and finally he released her, groaning, hands planted on either side of her. The rag gone, she screamed, only to receive a slap. He unbuckled his belt, and took off his pants. "NO!" she yelled, kicking and wriggling. She got another punishing slap. Ichiou straddled her grinding his hips down.

He tried to force himself into her mouth. She whipped her head from side to side, feeling it bouncing on her face. She refused to open her mouth. One of the men on the side pinched her nose. She held her breath until she couldn't anymore, and opened her mouth, gasping. He shoved his penis in. He groaned, and thrust forward. She could not breathe or speak with him in her mouth. He thrust again, and it touched the back of her throat. One of the men on the sides grasped her cheeks and began to manipulate them in a sucking motion. The sweating, hairy man on top of her groaned louder, and thrust harder.

Suddenly, her mouth filled with a foul tasting sticky substance that overflowed onto her chin. Finally he pulled out, and she coughed, spitting out white semen. Her cheeks were wet. She hadn't even noticed she was crying. The men on either side laughed and clapped the bigger man on the back. The bigger man was breathing as though he had run a marathon. He took his penis and began to rub it in between her breasts and all along her stomach. It felt like an iron bar. And then her chest was covered with the same sticky mess.

Giggling, the man unzipped her skirt, and drew it off roughly, while the men on either side spread her legs wide and stuffed the rag back in. She closed her eyes not wanting to see. _Please…_He began moving his hands up the insides of her thighs, feeling his way to the center, where he began to massage. She looked up to the sky above the dim lights in the alley and prayed desperately. _Just kill me_.

Man POV

He was walking back home from one of his favorite haunts, where he liked to sit and watch the stars after hitting the bar. It was a clear night, but a night like any other night, until he heard a desperate scream pierce the quiet. He stiffened, and stopped walking. He looked around, head moving from side to side like a tracking dog. It had been a woman's scream. Normally, he would continue walking. But there was something about the cry that held him there.

Almost subconsciously, he decided to find the owner of the scream. He turned into a dark alleyway padding noiselessly on the concrete. Another scream came. "NO!" He sped up. It had been closer. Another turn, and…he stood dumbstruck and frozen. In front of him, a woman was sprawled on the ground with two men holding her down, and another one missing his pants with his hands up her crotch. The look on her face told him everything he needed to know. He was horrified. Rage began to spread icily across his body. How dare they do that to her? His blood began to boil. And he sprang into action.

Sakura POV

_Just kill me._ The man shifted position grinning evilly, and prepared to enter her…when a fist knocked him all the way across the alley. A dark figure landed lightly in front of her spinning to face the two restrainers. He launched into a series of flying kicks. They both went flying only to get up again and run angrily at the specter roaring and grunting. Sakura grabbed her skirt, and pulled it on as fast as she could, and tried to close her blouse.

She couldn't get a good look at the person who had saved her. Suddenly, the figure cried out. 'WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING TO HER, YOU FUCKING PERVERTS!' He began punching all three of them, kicking, and dodging badly aimed, slow-moving blows. They were drunk, and sluggish, and he beat the crap out of them. (woooo! Go dark angel! *eyebrows go up and down* guess who? :D) He hit them over and over again, continuing even when they stopped moving. 'E-excuse me?" Sakura's voice quavered through the air.

'What?' he hissed, turning his face to her. She gasped when she saw him. He was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. The chiseled face of a god looked back at her. Most startling were his eyes. They were scarlet with pinpricks of black in three spots in each eye. She swallowed. "I-I j-just thought they might be de…" was all she managed before collapsing with the last thought _He can't be a god. So I guess he's an angel…a dark angel. _

Hello! Sorry for such an intense scene…but I really wanted the fic to start off intense and exciting…I'm not some random creeper who comes up with these things….:p anyways. Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello all! enjoy!

_Recap: He can't be a god. So I guess he's an angel…a dark angel. _

Saskue POV

Saskue looked at the pink haired woman who stared at him white-faced and wide-eyed. She stuttered something barely intelligible and then collapsed. He was shaking, breathing hard. Her call to him had pierced the rage that had taken over when he had seen her. He looked at the men he had been beating, poking one of them with his foot (A/N: sorry to ruin the drama but can you see sasuke doing that? Hehehe…). None of them stirred.

Worry took over instead. Were they dead? He quickly checked each of them for a pulse, and sighed in relief. They were just out from a mixture of too many drinks and the severe ass whopping they had just received. He turned again to the woman lying on the cardboard. He knew he had to take her to the hospital. He walked over to her. She had tucked her legs underneath her, and her weak hold on her blouse was useless. The shirt flopped open revealing what lay underneath. He looked away quickly and closed it without looking and then scooped her up gently bridal style. Without a backward glance at the men in the alley, he walked out heading to the nearest hospital.

* * *

Sakura POV

Sakura awoke to the sound of beeping and the feeling of being uncomfortably cold. Opening her eyes blearily, she saw bright white lights ahead of her, and heard a woman's soft voice saying '…sure she will recover. She has suffered two broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, severe trauma to her body, and the cut on her stomach. It isn't too deep but it is long, and there was quite a bit of blood loss. That and the emotional trauma. We think she may be in a state of shock.'

Being a medic-nin in training, Sakura knew exactly how long injuries like that would take to heal. Minus the 'emotional trauma'. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again turning her head to the owner of the voice. Her eyes widened when she saw the same man who had rescued her speaking to a pretty nurse. He was nodding along with whatever it was she was saying.

The nurse turned to her as though she had heard something and smiled, walking over and saying 'Ah, you're awake.' Sakura nodded tentatively and immediately wished she hadn't. She winced. The nurse smiled wider and said 'You might not want to move right away. We gave you painkillers when you came in, and several times afterwards but that was…oh my!' She had checked her watch. 'That was almost four hours ago. No wonder you're hurting. I'll get some immediately.'

She strode off to the door stopping on the threshold long enough to say 'By the way, my name is Nurse Kanna.' With that she disappeared from sight. Sakura turned back to her rescuer. He was looking at her. She noticed that his eyes were now obsidian and deep. She frowned. In her memory he had had red eyes. She shook it off thinking she must have been hallucinating when he had arrived. Suddenly, he moved toward her bedside. She opened her mouth and croaked 'Thank you sir. I-'

He cut her off putting up a hand. 'Your medical bill will be paid. My condolences for what has happened to you.' His voice was beautiful, smooth as water sliding over rocks, and cultured. With that he turned, and proceeded to walk out of the room before Sakura had a chance to protest or ask his name.

* * *

Saskue POV

Saskue crossed the hospital lobby quickly, weaving his way through the crowd to the front reception desk in the center. His presence alerted the nurse on duty. She looked up from behind the computer, clearly startled. She started, saying 'C-can I help you?' He stopped her short and said 'I want to see the file on the woman I brought in tonight.' She shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that sir. The files on patients are pri-' She stopped again when he leaned closer, having seen the effect he had on her and said quietly, 'I really do need to see that file. I'm sure you understand.'

She took a step back, flustered and stuttered 'Um, y-yes, o-of course…if you'll just wait for a second…' She typed for a few seconds, and then turned the screen towards him. He scanned it, looking at the estimated cost of medical treatment. There was still no name, as she hadn't had identification with her. He looked at the nurse again who seemed to be hyperventilating at his continued proximity to her.

He rolled his eyes in his head, and moved away. She visibly relaxed, and asked 'I-is that s-satisfactory sir?' He nodded curtly, and said 'See that the bill for this patient is paid from this account, and that it remains unknown to her who paid the bill.' He scribbled the account number on a pad of paper resting on the counter, and slid it across.

The nurse, stumbled a little in her haste to take the sheet of paper, and handed him some forms to be taken with him. He snatched them up and walked briskly to the door. Flipping through the papers she had handed him, he found a slip of paper with a phone number scrawled on it. He rolled his eyes and tossed it into a nearby bin.

He threw the forms in along with it, and shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and started home, jogging, feeling the wind on his face. He shook the woman from his mind, and resolved to not devote much thought to her. His footsteps faded into silence.

* * *

Sakura POV

One week later, Sakura was declared fit to leave the hospital. Ino had come a few days later, after having gone crazy when Sakura wouldn't pick up the phone or answer her emails. Ino had run around town and had finally stopped at the hospital and asked around. They had directed her in. She had blown in, crying, asking if Sakura was okay, why hadn't she called immediately, what had happened and a host of other things.

She had stopped talking to breathe and sit down on the bed. Sakura, had then filled her in. Ino gasped in horror, made very violent death threats against those reponsible and had stayed with her the rest of the week.

Now as Sakura washed her bruised face carefully in the tiny en suite bathroom, she examined herself in the mirror. Her arm was in a sling, and her skin was covered in a mottled collection of purple and blue bruises. Her ribs were bound and she was on painkillers. The stitches in her stomach pulled a little as she turned from side to side. She looked as though she'd been on the losing side of a war.

And strangely enough, her face was mostly untouched, though she had the mother of all bruises where they had thwacked her head on the concrete and against the wall. She breathed out hard at the memory. That must have been what they had meant when they said 'important parts'.

She shook the thoughts from her mind, and opened the bathroom door. Ino swooped down on her. 'Are you ready to go? I've organized some sick leave at work. I told Mr. Kurazawa what happened…well, not entirely. Just that you had been mugged…not the rest. Should I have? I'm sorry…' Sakura smiled, and said 'Ino, it's fine. Thank you.' Ino stopped, and then grinned surveying her. 'You look like you were on the wrong end of a fight with a blind man with a paintbrush…and a baseball bat.'

'Thanks so much Ino-pig.'

'Anytime Forehead.' Ino gently pulled Sakura's arm around her shoulders, and acting as a crutch, led her out of the room.

* * *

_Six months later…_

Sakura bustled into work, humming tunelessly. A few seconds later, Ino came running in, out of breath, and clutching her side. She walked up to Sakura sighing in relief. 'Ha! I thought I would be the only one late.' She unbuttoned her jacket as she spoke. Sakura burst out laughing. 'What?' demanded Ino staring at her friend.

"C-check…haha…your shirt…hahahaha!' Ino looked down at herself, blinking in confusion. And then her face turned bright red. Her bra was on the outside of her shirt clearly visible now that her jacket was open.

She hurriedly buttoned it, making sure no one was around. Sakura was still doubled over laughing. 'Shut up Sakura! Last night I had a couple of drinks and then I met this guy and well…anyway…this morning I was rushing and…' she trailed off. Sakura nodded wiping her eyes, and giggling a little. Ino blushed harder.

Sakura nudged her, smirking 'Come on. And remember not to unbutton your jacket.' They both had important interviews that day. They took the elevator, and arrived outside their boss' office. Ino was first, and knocked lightly on the door. It opened, and she went in. Sakura laid her head back against the wall of the room, resistance crumbling, and allowed the memory of the attack to overcome her. She had relived it every day for the past six months, and it had never gotten easier. The more she tried not to think about it, the more she ended up thinking about it.

The other thing that went around the well used track in her mind was the fact that she still didn't know her rescuer's identity. She had tried hard to retrieve it from the hospital, but they had told her they were as clueless as she. So she had nothing but a face. As the memory continued, the tears came down, flowing freely.

She was jolted out of her reverie by Ino's loud voice screaming through the doors. 'BULLSHIT!' Panicking, Sakura shot up and shoved the door open. Ino was standing breathing as hard as she had when she had arrived, and she was red in the face. Mr. Kurazawa, standing on the other side of the room, did not seem angry or surprised at the outburst. In fact, he looked sad, and withdrawn.

Sakura began to apologize, closing the door, embarrassed by her reaction. But Mr. Kurazawa waved her in. 'You need to hear this too Sakura. Last night, our company's owner died of a heart attack. He didn't leave any successors, and so, because we cannot access his funds, the company will go bankrupt shortly unless someone steps forward to claim his place. However, this seems quite unlikely. And so, as we are unable to continue paying our employees, I'm afraid we will have to let everyone go. I'm so sorry ladies; I wish I didn't have to do this.'

Sakura took this in silently, trying to process the fact that she had lost her job. 'What the hell am I supposed to do Mr. Kurazawa?' yelled Ino. He clasped his hands behind his back, his face drawn.

He replied 'Miss Yamanaka, we will use the company's remaining funds to deliver one last paycheck to our former employees, and to close our business affairs. From here on out, I suppose you will have to find a new job.' Ino closed her eyes, anger fading. Sakura still hadn't spoken. Finally, Ino let it go entirely, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. 'C'mon Sakura. We better go.'

Mr. Kurazawa came forward. 'I really am sorry you two. I had been planning to promote you today, but…' He shook his head and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. She yelped, and staggered back. Mr. Kurazawa yanked his back, looking a little hurt and more than a little confused. Sakura's heart rate had spiked as soon as he touched her. It was a fight or flight reaction born the night she had been attacked. 'I…I'm sorry sir, I…haven't quite recovered…I' she said lamely. She knew Mr. Kurazawa had had a thing for her. His face relaxed, and assumed a neutral expression.

'No, I should apologize. I had forgotten about your…incident.' He sighed again, and moved towards the door to let them out. Ino caught Sakura's hand, worry in her eyes. Sakura smiled weakly, trying to reassure her friend. Sakura hadn't been the same ever since she had returned from the hospital. She was jumpy, and depressed. Ino didn't blame her, and was constantly worried. She had spent countless hours in Sakura's apartment trying to comfort her best friend. It had helped, but she thought that Sakura had to do the rest on her own. They walked out together.

'Your paychecks will be sent in the mail!' called Mr. Kurazawa behind them. They made it outside into bright sunshine and a jostling crowd of people. It really didn't match their moods. 'Let's go get drunk.' suggested Ino. Sakura laughed a little, and responded 'Coffee sounds better.' They moved off and into a little café they knew that served amazing coffee. They chose a table in corner, close to the back of the shop. It was their usual place, because it gave them lots of privacy.

The waitress approached them. Ino instantly said 'I'll take espresso, black, with foam.' The waitress nodded, writing on her pad. Sakura said 'I'll have a caramel latte with chocolate and cream.' Whereas Ino needed a wakeup shot being hung over, and angry, Sakura preferred something light and sweet to make her feel better. The waitress walked off. Ino put her face in her hands. 'I'm gonna be broke after this coffee. Where am I supposed to find a good job this time of year?' she mumbled.

Sakura patted her arm.

'You're one of the best journalists I know. You'll be fine.' There was a groaning sound from Ino. Their orders arrived just then. They talked over their drinks until about noon. Sakura noticed the time and promised to call Ino if she found anything.

She left the café and began walking the six blocks home. Several hours later, dressed in a tank top and sweats, she pulled the newspaper towards her and flipped to the jobs section of the paper. She started circling. Many phone calls and cross outs later, there were just three circles left. She examined them each. _Assistant needed. Interviews at the Uchiha mansion 3 o'clock 23__rd__ April. _Tomorrow. This one seemed the best to her.

She decided she could settle as an assistant. But she also needed to find somewhere to continue her medical training. Previously she had been being paid for working as an assistant to medic-nin, and learning along the way. She called Ino, and told her about the interview. Apparently Ino hadn't been looking for jobs.

Over the phone Sakura heard laughter, and a male voice telling Ino to come back to bed. Ino apologetically hung up, promising to start looking soon. Sakura decided to call it a night. She flopped onto her bed, and fell asleep almost immediately. She would deal with tomorrow when it came.

Hi! I really hope this chapter wasn't too long and boring. I promise the next one will be more exciting and possibly shorter. Please R&R! especially cause I stayed up til 2 in the morning writing this cause I had sudden inspiration…:P


	3. Chapter 3

Bonjour! Or well…I suppose konichiwa would be more appropriate now wouldn't it? Thanks so much for all the love, and the reviews! Anyway. So, I'm finally updating, cause I got hit with another lightning bolt of inspiration! Yay! Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…yet… Enjoy…

* * *

_Recap: She flopped onto her bed, and fell asleep almost immediately. She would deal with tomorrow when it came._

Sakura POV

Sakura awoke to bright sunshine pouring in through the window, giving the room a warm, buttery look. She blearily looked around. She was still in the spot she had been when she fell asleep. _What time is it? _Swiveling around to look at her nightstand, she saw the big purple numbers read 2:10 p.m. _What time is the interview? 3? _

At this thought a mumbled expletive burst from her mouth. She rolled off the bed, and promptly fell over. Sakura quickly bounced back up and zoomed across her room to the big antique closet at the far end. It was made of beautiful, red cherry wood, and had been a gift from her parents when she had moved out.

Right then though, sparing no thought for its origins, she flung the door open, and proceeded to rip things off hangers, trying to find something suitable to wear. Casting another anxious glance at the clock which now read 2:15, her mad flinging of clothes picked up speed. Her hands flew around, until finally she punched herself in the face. 'Shit! I don't have time for this!' she squealed, clutching at her eye.

Great, now, in addition to being naked, she would also have a massive black eye. Finally, she spotted a black pencil skirt. She grabbed it, and tossed it onto the bed. Following that was a silk, violet blouse. She wriggled out of her sweats, and into the skirt and blouse. From there she made a cautious way through the haphazard piles of clothes on the floor. It made it difficult to navigate to her dressing table.

One look in the mirror told her that today would NOT be a good hair day. Sighing, she picked up a hairbrush, and dragged it roughly through the tangles of her bright pink hair. Eventually it was relatively smooth, and she pulled it back, away from her face into a high ponytail. Last, she added a matching black bandeau to her hair, and sprayed on two quick squirts of cherry blossom scented perfume.

Then she stood back assessing herself critically in the mirror. She nodded finally, and looked back at the clock once more. 2:40. She shrieked, and shot out the door, slamming her feet into a pair of black pumps near the front door of her apartment. She banged the door shut, only to wrench it open a few seconds later to grab her resume off the table in the kitchen muttering curses under her breath like a crazy woman. And so, Sakura Haruno moved through the crowd on the streets, completely unaware of the fate that awaited her at the Uchiha mansion.

* * *

Sasuke POV

Sasuke stood facing the window, trademark glare in place, (inflicting death on plants and small, cute animals and children. Kidding!) listening to his mother drone on about how it would be good if he got some help in his personal life, blah, blah, blah…He couldn't be bothered to really listen. He'd heard this speech several hundred times already. He probably could've said the words right along with her.

Instead, he turned reluctantly to face her. She was sitting in his favourite squishy, armchair (OMG! Sasuke has a favorite of something? 0.o Sorry, sorry…on with the story…) He sighed, and said, 'Mother, must you really go through with these interviews?' She smiled a little mischievously at him. 'Of course. And who knows? Maybe you'll find a nice girl somewhere in this batch.'

He rolled his eyes. His mother absolutely loved playing matchmaker. If it wasn't the 'Find-someone-to-help-you-shoulder-your-burdens speech, it was the You-should-get-married-to-a-nice-girl speech. He had heard them over and over since his father had died, and Itachi had run off, and he had taken over the company.

Well, Itachi hadn't actually run off. He had just become the owner of a very large, very successful company separate from the one in the family. He just liked to think that way because it gave him another reason to hate his brother. Sasuke closed himself off from that line of thought. Thoughts of Itachi made him want to kill something. He closed his eyes and composed himself. Opening them again, he focused on his mother.

'So, you'll handle the interviews?' She smiled again, wider, and then exclaimed 'Well you would just send them all home, so yes I suppose I will.' Sasuke smiled inwardly. He raised his arm up so he could look at his watch. 'Well then you might want to go.'

'What? Trying to get rid of me?'

'No, it's 2:57.'

'What!' She shot up from the chair and bounced out the door. He chuckled softly to himself, and sat down behind his messy desk and proceeded to work on a pile of papers.

* * *

Sakura POV

Sakura arrived finally, at the Uchiha mansion at around 2:57. When she saw it though, she stopped for a second, awed by the sight. Through an ornate, probably one of a kind wrought iron gate, lay a huge house. It just kept going on and on to either side. It was a traditional Japanese exterior with a sliding door divided into sections by bamboo in the front.

But through the fence, Sakura could see a blooming garden, full of flowers that were decidedly un-Japanese. Fountains were everywhere, filling the air with the sound of tinkling water. Bird chirped happily, and there was a bamboo bridge over a pond of koi a little way ahead of her. Gardners hovered near flowerbeds, trimming, and watering, and who knew what else. She suddenly noticed the perfectly manicured lawn. She wondered briefly how they kept it looking so perfect, before suddenly realized that she had wasted 30 precious seconds. 'Damn!' she whispered.

Her language caused the disapproving glare of one of the guards to fall on her. She jumped slightly. She hadn't noticed them, as she had been caught up in staring at the house. She walked up to him rather sheepishly. 'Um, I'm here for the um, interview…and, well, um…'

His face was neutral (_Just like the guards at the Queen's palace in England _she thought), but he moved aside, pushing a combination of numbers into a keypad on the side of the gate. A voice crackled through the little intercom above the keypad. The guard answered something unintelligible, and the gates opened as if by magic. Sakura took this to mean she could go forward, and hesitantly moved a couple steps ahead.

He didn't stop her so she let out a sigh of relief and continued walking. She kept to the winding paved stone path, and tried not to look totally out of place. She finally arrived at the sliding door at the front of the house. It opened out of nowhere, and she stepped back. And then she saw the tiny camera at the very top of the door frame. She relaxed, but only a little.

A small man wearing a formal looking blue shirt with the Uchiha crest beckoned her in. Her wore glasses, and held a clipboard. He looked her up and down, taking in her appearance and said in a nasal voice 'Applicant?' She nodded. He shuffled his feet and looked at her pointedly. She realized she was still standing on the threshold of the house. She quickly stepped inside.

He shut the door behind her, and moved past her into the wide hallway. He walked briskly, leading her through a maze of turns and halls. Was there no end to them? She knew there was no way in hell she would find her way out without help, and so motivated kept up with his pace.

Finally, he stopped short, so suddenly that she almost walked into him. He turned to her saying 'Through that door is the waiting room for applicants. Please wait there until you are called in.' With that, he strode off, leaving her standing there. Trying not to look lost, she opened the door.

Inside was a medium sized room with soft white lighting, and tastefully paneled with light, teak colored wood. The floor was covered in a rich, red carpet decorated in a pattern of elegant fleur-de-lis's. There was another door at the far end of the room. And along each wall facing each other were two rows of chairs full of nervous looking people who she assumed must be the other applicants.

About twenty-six of them she estimated, which made fifty-two pairs of eyes staring at her as she entered the room. She slid into an unoccupied one and everyone around her quickly lost interest. She closed her eyes, and leaned her head back against the wall. _Oh shit! _She suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to shower. She put her face in her hands and sighed. There was no helping it now. Her thoughts drifted. The memory tugged at her thoughts. Inwardly she screamed in frustration. Why did it always have to pop up when she wasn't at least 75% devoted to doing something else? She opened her eyes angrily, and looked at her watch. It was now 3:03. At least she had made it here on time. She studied the decorations instead in order to keep her mind from wandering.

Time dragged on, and the far door opened and closed with applicants walking in and out. Twice she saw girls rushing from the door, tears in full flood. She shuddered. Whoever was conducting the interviews must be really tough. She checked her watch. 3:38.

Time really was moving at a snail's pace. Finally, she and two other applicants were left in the room. The door at the far end opened, and she was called in. She walked quickly, breaking out in a nervous sweat. She REALLY didn't want to end up like the two girls in tears. Taking a deep breath, she entered the room.

'Good afternoon, Miss Haruno.' Said a voice. Sakura jumped. She hadn't seen anyone when she walked in. And then she spotted a tiny woman in a very large armchair. She was wearing a beautiful, cobalt blue, silk kimono decorated with intricate, swirling embroidery of two dragons. _She's the one who made them cry? What?_ Sakura looked around the room. Black and white all around.

Though the outside of the mansion may have seemed Japanese, the inside was modern and classy. The woman spoke again. 'Have a seat Miss Haruno.' She indicated another armchair facing her. Sakura obediently walked over and sat down. 'Now Miss Haruno. You are here to apply for the position of my son's assistant. Is that correct?' Sakura nodded. 'I will ask you a series of questions. Please answer honestly and as best you can.' Sakura nodded again, feeling like a bobble head doll.

Suddenly, the interview began. Mikoto Uchiha fired questions off at a speed Sakura would have previously believed impossible. She answered quickly, trying not to stutter, or give any other indication of how nervous she was.

Despite her size, Mikoto was very intimidating. She filled the room with her presence, and seemed to have a cold, condescending view of everything Sakura said. She didn't say it, but made it obvious that she thought Sakura incompetent, and clearly not the person she was looking for. Subtle comments humiliated her. Mikoto snorted at things Sakura would have considered to be some of the best on her resume.

What would it take to please this woman? Sakura bit her lip and fought back tears. She would NOT run out of the room. She would endure it to the end, if only to prove that she was strong enough to bear the interrogation. Mikoto watched as the pink haired woman in front of her blinked back tears, and squared her shoulders to face whatever was thrown at her next. And she smiled. 'Very good dear! I believe you are the first one today to make it through! Congratulations!' she said. Sakura was taken aback. 'E-excuse me? Um…U-uchiha-san…?' Mikoto laughed. 'Please, call me Mikoto. What's the use of having a name if no one uses it? I am sorry about the interview. It is rather unorthodox, but if you can't handle a barrage like that, then there is no way you are qualified to be my son's assistant. And believe me, he will test you worse than I did to make absolutely sure you are the one for the job.'

Sakura'a jaw dropped a little. She slid her hands together and pinched the soft part of her palm. It hurt. And tentatively she smiled as well. _No way her son could be worse than that. _She thought. 'Well then, Miss Haruno, you may start tomorrow. Be here at 7:00 a.m.' With that, Sakura was dismissed. She moved slowly out of the room, like a sleepwalker, hardly daring to believe what had just happened. The last two applicants looked at her warily.

The same small man who had led Sakura to the room, appeared suddenly. 'Excuse me, Miss Haruno. I am to escort you out. Congratulations.' His voice was like that of a robot. If a robot could have a cold. He turned to the other two people there. 'I am sorry, but the position has already been filled by Miss Haruno here. We are no longer taking applications and therefore your services are no longer required. You will be escorted out.'

Then he turned on his heel and marched out of the room. Sakura followed, still shocked. The woman sitting on the chair shot her a poisonous look as she passed, while the man simply ignored her. Bright sunlight assaulted her vision as she stepped outside and started. How had she gotten here?

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't look up till the very last second. Happiness was bubbling inside of her. The corners of her lips twitched into a smile. She hadn't been properly happy in a long time. The grass was greener, the air fresher, and the sun brighter all of a sudden. Sakura practically skipped her way from the Uchiha mansion. This called for a celebration.

* * *

Sasuke POV

Sasuke sighed and pushed his papers away. He had a throbbing headache behind his left eye. Kneading it with his knuckles, he stood and moved the window. It was dark outside but there was the glow from the city. He thought about the woman he had rescued six months ago. For some reason, today she had been on his mind. He wondered if she had ever found out who he was. He snorted. Doubtful. He hadn't left a trail to follow.

'Sasuke-chan!' He turned to face his mother. Mikoto Uchiha stood it the doorway. _Oh no…_Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were pink. This could only mean one thing. She… 'I've found you an assistant! And, might I add she's a very nice girl as well.' Sasuke rolled his eyes again. He found himself making the gesture more and more lately. He looked at her again and exhaled. The pain behind his eye increased. There was no fighting his mother when she was in this sparkly kind of mood. She was too happy, and would answer all his arguments with good will. It was too hard to be angry with her. (OMG, sasuke finds it hard to be mad? That's the day the world ends…)

'..and you'll love her, I'm certain. She is quite pretty too you know…' He tuned out again. She tapped him on the shoulder. 'Just be nice to her will you? Don't send her home crying like the last one. She has an…air…about her. Like she's had something stressful happen lately.' She patted him on the cheek and left the room. He rested his forehead on the cool glass. It soothed his headache a little. He would get through tomorrow.

* * *

Sakura POV

Sakura lifted her glass of sake. 'Cheers!' She and Ino downed it in one go. Sakura had called her immediately on getting home. Ino had insisted they go out to a bar so she could tell her something 'important'. 'So,' Sakura said, 'What's this incredibly important thing you had to tell me?' Ino's eyes grew wide.

'Do you know who you're going to be working for?'

'What? Yes, Mikoto Uchiha's son.' Ino laughed.

'That's all you know?' Sakura frowned.

'I guess so…'

'Do you even know his name?' Sakura shifted her eyes away.

'Um…no…' Ino burst out laughing even harder. She doubled over bubbling with mirth. Sakura was annoyed. When Ino stopped to breathe, she had tears in her eyes.

'Well, Miss I'm-working-for-Mikoto-Uchiha's-son, you are now the assistant to one of the most powerful businessmen, and might I add most amazing looking men in the world. Sasuke Uchiha!' Sakura gaped for a second.

She hadn't thought of that. It was quite obvious really. Sasuke Uchiha was one of the most famous people in the world and the Uchiha clan was hugely respected. 'And how did you of all people go into an interview without actually knowing who it was you were going to be working for? That is really unlike you.'

'Well…I…um….'

'Yeah, yeah. Well now you know.' Ino grinned at her friend. 'Get me a picture or an autograph, will you? Or clothes…some hair…'

'Ino! That is more than creepy! Wait, are you drunk?' Ino had finished her thirty-fifth shot of sake. (I don't really know if that's possible, but I just wanted it to sound impressive…) She was swaying from side to side like a cobra in a snake charmer's basket. She wasn't drunk – she was totally hammered. No wonder she always had a man in her bedroom. She leaned in closer to Sakura and said in a confidential whisper, 'I can get you into bed with him in two weeks...'

Sakura's color rose. 'C'mon Ino, let's get you home.' Sakura slid Ino's arm around her shoulder and walked to Ino's apartment, as Ino sang twinkle twinkle little star loudly and tunelessly all the way.

By the time she got home herself, she was exhausted. She dumped her stuff on the table and opened the door to her bedroom. It looked like a hurricane had hit and left the rest of her house relatively untouched. She chided herself a little. _Such a slob. _

Wending her way through the piles of clothes on the floor, she opened the adjoining bathroom door, and turned on the shower. She would let it heat up properly before she went in. She loosed her hair, grabbed some pajamas and headed to the bathroom. Sakura stepped under the hot flow of water, letting it relax her entire body. By the time she had finished, the air was thick with steam.

She swiped at the mirror, clearing away some of the fog. Her face was pale under the glare of the bathroom lights. She chose a large, fluffy towel from the pile on top of the little armoire in the bathroom, and wrapped herself firmly in it. Then she traipsed out into her bedroom, and changed quickly into the pajamas she had chosen. Sakura sat on her bed, and slid under the covers. She took the alarm clock off her nightstand and set it to 5:30 a.m. Then, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

What seemed like five minutes later, she was awoken by the blaring of the clock. Her hand shot out, knocking the clock from its perch and onto the ground. The sound died with a pitiful electronic wail. She sat up rubbing her eyes and groaning. Peering over the edge of the bed to glance at the upturned face of the clock, she saw it was indeed time to move.

Sighing, she shoved her feet into the slippers next to her bed, and shuffled out of the room. It was still semi-dark. She groped for the light in the kitchen and winced when it hit her eyes. Squinting into her half empty cupboard, she decided to just give up on something fancy and go with cereal.

Bowl clutched in hand, and her spoon shoveling away, she went to the front door to get the newspaper. She opened the door. There was a large box on her front step. She put the half finished cereal on the ground and brought the box into her kitchen.

There was a knife on the counter and she used it to slit the packing tape. In the box were five neatly folded blue blouses. She took one by the shoulders and shook it out. It was a high-necked Chinese style blouse (you know the ones w/ the little buttons up the side?) made of the finest silk she had ever felt. It had slits up the sides stopping at where her hips would be, though the material continued down to the top of her thighs. On the back was the Uchiha crest. She smiled and realized that this must be her uniform. Sure enough, also in the box was a note addressed to Miss Sakura Haruno. She read it quickly. _Dear Miss Haruno, _

_The blouses you have received are to be your uniform unless my son gives you directions otherwise. The blouses may be worn with a skirt or pants of your choice. Congratulations on getting the job. _

_Yours, _

_Uchiha Mikoto_

Sakura shook her head. This had been delivered before dawn. When you were rich you could make anything happen. She took one of the blouses and twirled back to her room. She tried it on immediately. It was lovely, and had obviously been tailored just for her though she had no idea how they would have found out her measurements.

She found a knee length, pleated, black skirt in her closet and put them together. They matched perfectly. Next was her hair. She carefully brushed it into a roll at the back of her head and secured it with hairpins. She also fixed a small, glittery butterfly to the side of her head.

Then looking at herself up and down, decided she looked capable, confident and intelligent. Instead of heels, she chose stylish ballet flats. Out into the kitchen again. She looked in the box one more time and noticed something. There was a laminated ID card with the picture from her resume on it. It was in a plastic case on a keychain necklace. She slipped it over her head. She checked her watch. 6:03. Excellent.

Sakura walked out the door with a small smile on her face only to trip over the now soggy bowl of cereal she had abandoned when she found the box. She bent and picked it up. She walked back into the kitchen, placed it in the sink and headed out again. Off to her first day of work.

Happiness was buoying her up and she bounced down the street. She arrived early, and the guard looked at her ID and let her through. The sun had come up, and the city was coming to life, filled with early morning bustle. The doors opened magically before she reached them again, and the little man appeared.

She followed him without question this time. He led her a different way through the warren of the mansion this time. Two flights of stairs and about sixty million corridors later, he stopped in front of a handsome door, turned the handle (crystal she noticed) and ushered her inside. She found herself inside a sumptuous bedroom.

There was a huge circular bed with a mattress larger than a king swathed in black and blue sheets. The thick black comforter was halfway on the floor and the sheets twisted every which way. There was a chandelier with what she was sure were crystal fittings, and an enormous flat screen tv on the far wall opposite the bed. The whole room was black and blue. She breathed in quickly. It was a little intimidating. She walked across to the French windows, feet sinking into the plush carpet. She drew back the curtains and let the light stream in. Then she turned her attention to the closet.

* * *

Sasuke POV

Sasuke turned off the water in the shower. Little rivulets ran down his body. He stopped in the middle of getting a towel. There was someone in his room. Then he remembered. The stupid interviews. It must be whoever had gotten the job. He tied the towel around his waist. His mother had said it was a woman. Maybe he could scare her off. He opened the door, and strode into the room.

Sakura whirled around at the sound of the door opening and came face to face with the man she thought she'd never see again. She dropped the jacket she was holding, and her eyes widened. _The dark angel? _Sasuke took a step back. He knew that hair. Impossible to mistake. _The woman he'd rescued! _Oh crap.

She looked at him hard and opened her mouth to speak. Sasuke caught himself. 'Before you say anything, don't thank me. I was only walking that way because I was coming back from the bar. And I only beat those guys up because they had pissed me off a while back. I thought it would be fun because I got the girl and they didn't.'

The words tumbled out. He was surprised at himself. That was a lie. Her mouth closed, and her cheeks grew pink. Sakura felt her eyes begin to fill. She was surprisingly hurt. She had allowed herself to think that this man was a hero. But if what he said was true, and it certainly looked it from his expression, then she mattered nothing to him.

She never realized quite how much she had come to think of him as an angel and she knew it showed on her face. Mikoto had been right. She was already on the verge of tears. Sasuke remembered his original plan to scare her off. He looked around and noticed the curtains had been pulled back, the comforter righted, and a suit laid out on the bed. He sneered at her. 'What the hell is this?' he demanded. She looked at him, confused. 'W-what?'

'This!' he gestured at the windows and at the bed. 'Who told the stupid new assistant to open the windows? And go through my closet? What's wrong with you?' Sakura was shocked. He kept talking. '...some kind of stalker? I don't need an assistant, especially one like you. You can leave.' Sakura felt herself getting angry. 'No.' she said quietly. How dare he insult her? Sasuke scowled at her.

'Bitch, I believe I gave you an order. Get. Out.' Oh no he didn't. No one called Sakura a bitch to her face. Especially not this guy.

'No!' Sakura said it louder. She walked straight up to him and looked him in the face. 'Who died and made you king? Its my _job _to do those things. And what gives you the right to insult me? I am not a dog!' she practically screamed. Her eyes flashed with outrage. Sasuke looked taken aback at the force of her words. He hadn't expected her to fight back. Her cheeks were still flushed but this time from anger.

She suddenly noticed how close their faces were. She looked down hurriedly only to realize he was in a towel. Her face grew redder, as she took in his body. His hair was still damp from the shower, and he smelled really good she noticed all of a sudden. She looked pointedly at his face, holding his gaze, trying very hard not to let her eyes slip below to his sculpted abs, and below that his…her face now resembled a beetroot.

Sasuke smirked. 'Ogling me are we?' She shook her head vigorously and stared at the floor. She addressed the ground in a small voice. 'I'll leave now Uchiha-san.' He decided he was going to make this fun. He moved closer to her and lifted her chin with his fingers and said 'You don't need to leave…I was only joking.' He slid his other hand toward the top of his towel. She shoved his hand away, and slapped him hard across the face. Making sure to stomp hard on his foot, she turned and stormed out the door.

It slammed behind her. She was breathing hard. She rested her back against the wall. Her heart was racing too. Shit. Her boss was a complete asshole. And she had lost it and hit him. And why was her heart beating so fast? What was wrong with her? She closed her eyes. He was probably going to fire her. She hadn't even lasted one hour, let alone one day! This was going to be a problem.

Sasuke touched his face gingerly. There had been some real power behind that slap. This girl was different from the others. He could tell. And it wasn't only because she had yelled at him and slapped him. There was just something different about her. He resolved to find out what that was. He smiled. He was going to keep her around for now. This could turn out to be interesting.

* * *

And that's how it ends. Lol, no, jk. r&r plz! Sorry I took so long to update. I was really busy and then my computer got a virus cause it hates me….*sigh* ANYWAYS. So hopefully there will be another update coming soon. And in the meantime, if you guys have any suggestions let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello my amazing and wonderful readers! I'm on vacation right now…or at least I was when I started writing…Lol. So again, I don't own Naruto or the world…yet….BWAHAHAHA! *cough…* yes…so, back to the fic.

_Recap: Sasuke touched his face gingerly. There had been some real power behind that slap. This girl was different from the others. He could tell. And it wasn't only because she had yelled at him and slapped him. There was just something different about her. He resolved to find out what that was. He smiled. He was going to keep her around for now. This could turn out to be interesting. _

Sasuke deliberately dressed in different clothes from the ones Sakura had picked out and laid on his bed. Though he had to admit, looking at the outfit she had chosen, she didn't have bad taste. He moved toward the door. It swung open to reveal Sakura, fist in midair, just about to knock. He smirked again. Sakura flushed. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand. He saw her notice his sleeve.

Annoyance flitted across her face as she took in the fact that he was wearing a completely different ensemble from what she had chosen. _Asshole. _Sasuke was perilously close to laughing. She was pouting. Actually pouting.

With great difficulty he kept a straight face and said 'I'll make you a deal. I won't fire you, and I will forget the incident back there if you perform well for a week.' Sakura was shocked. _I'm not fired? Maybe he isn't such an asshole after all. _'If you slip up at any time during this week, though, be warned, I can have you fired and reported for assault so that you will never get another job again.' He watched her reaction.

She seemed to be swelling from the inside. And then the gears started turning in her brain. He could almost see it. And he smirked again as he saw her come to a decision. He already knew what the answer would be.

'O-of course Uchiha-san. Thank you.' She had to choke the words out. This was blackmail!

'Good. Now follow me.' He moved off at a fast trot. She hurried to keep up. 'First thing, I want a decaf caramel macchiata, half and half, cinnamon sprinkle on top, second, set up a meeting with the Haninozuka family for later today, and while you're doing that send a large condolence package with sympathies from the Uchiha clan on the death of Haninozuka Miyavi, then shift the video conference with the Switzerland companies, Feldschlösschen in particular, to tomorrow and in place of their appointment a call to the Prime Minister. Then I need some files reorganized, and after you've done that place a reservation at a nice restaurant; your choice, as my mother's birthday is next week. And when I say nice, I mean appetizers upwards of say one hundred thousand yen. Give them specific instructions for music and entertainment. Those will be sent to you via email later today. Then I want a meeting with the Hyuugas set up for tomorrow after the video conference…actually, set the meeting for the time of the conference call. They will appreciate it. And lastly, I want my dry cleaning picked up. Got that?'

He stopped suddenly outside the door of his office. Sakura fumed on the inside. She was supposed to do all that on her first day and do it well with no screw ups? Oh, he was good. He was pushing her on purpose. She took back her earlier thought about him being less of an asshole than she thought. There it was, back in full force.

Well. If he was going to push, she would push back. Hard. There was no way she was going to let him walk all over her. And as she finished that thought, he opened the door, smirked at her and slammed it in her face all in one fluid motion. She gaped at the closed door in front of her. Then she turned to her right. There was a door with a sign on it saying Uchiha P.A.

Apparently that was her stop. She turned the handle and walked inside. The room inside was beautifully furnished and just as elaborate as the rest of the house. A wrought-iron and glass desk were in one corner; a large Mac computer resting on it.

There was also a large pile of paper on the desk. Her eyes narrowed. She guessed those were the files that supposedly needed _reorganization_. There was nothing much else in the room. She decided that she would add her own flair to it over the course of the week.

And then she saw the door. She realized all of a sudden that that door connected the two offices. She flushed angrily at the thought of the Asshole (as she called him in her mind) waltzing in whenever he wanted. She resolved to keep it closed. And with that thought she marched to the desk and sat down. Also on the desk was a phone. It had been behind the pile so she hadn't seen it before. She examined it closely.

There was a list of extensions next to the buttons. One of those was a 'coffee' extension. She chuckled. The man was so addicted to caffeine that he had his own coffee button? Still smiling, she picked up the receiver and hit the button. Someone on the other end picked up immediately. 'Yes?'

'Um, hi. I'm the new PA and Mr. Uchiha ordered-'

'Let me guess…today is a Monday so a decaf caramel macchiata, half and half, cinnamon sprinkle on top ,yes?' Sakura gaped slightly and then found her voice.

'Um, yes. That's right-' The person cut her off again.

'It will be there in about thirty seconds.' The receiver went dead. Sakura slowly replaced it. Their efficiency was kind of scary. Then she turned her attention to the gigantic pile of papers in front of her. She sighed. This was going to be a lot of work.

She had just reached for the first one when a knock came from the door leading to the hall. She paused. 'Come in!' The door opened and an orderly walked in carrying a small round tray with a styrofoam coffee cup on it. Sakura was confused. 'Um, I think you've got the wrong room.' Mr. Uchiha's office is across from mine.' She said indicating the connecting doorway.

The orderly shook her head. 'Actually, he specifically asked if it could be delivered by the PA.' She carefully placed the tray on the piles of paper. It leaned and wobbled precariously. Sakura's outrage burned afresh. How dare he? The orderly smiled at her and said 'You're lucky. You seem to be a new favorite.' And then she backed out of the room. Sakura was trembling with anger. She wasn't a servant! She reached for the tray muttering to herself.

Oh, what she would give for something to put in that coffee that would keep him occupied in the bathroom the entire night. She pushed the connecting door open with perhaps a little more force than was necessary. She poked her head inside.

A large mahogany desk topped with a leather layer dominated the room, filling it with a sense of power. Behind the desk was a wall made of glass. It looked out onto a beautiful and expansive garden. There were also several filing cabinets (the contents of which she was sure were sitting on her desk) two armchairs and some shelves overflowing with books. The entire room was in a state of disarray. She spotted Sasuke in the chair behind his desk.

Fixing him with her brightest, most dangerous smile, she approached the desk. Sasuke looked up. Sakura was walking towards him holding his coffee with one of the scariest smiles he had ever seen in his life plastered across her face. He looked at her warily. She placed it in front of him. 'Thank you.' He said. She smiled even wider.

'Oh it was no trouble at all. Enjoy your coffee Uchiha-_san_.' She spat out the last bit with venom. He looked from the coffee to her and back again. She backed out of his office, keeping her demented smile trained on him the whole time. Finally she closed the door behind her. He let out a breath, not having noticed that he was holding it.

He surreptitiously pulled off the cup's cover and inspected the surface of the coffee for oil on the surface, or for any unusual smells. He had been trained to detect poison from an early age. There was nothing that he could identify, but he was a little shaken. Who knew what she might have done to it?

Eventually he just gave up on the idea of coffee that morning and tossed it untouched, into the trash beside his desk. He knew he couldn't order another one because Sakura would undoubtedly see if he hit the coffee button because it flashed on her phone too. It was a stupid remnant of paranoia that his grandfather had had. He had distrusted orderlies and only wanted his PA to bring him coffee if he took it and so it alerted the PA as well. Damn. He really had to get that fixed. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that she had made him go coffee-less.

Sakura giggled to herself as she listened through the closed door. She heard the coffee cup hit the bin. Score 1-1. The satisfaction she felt was immense. Happily, she skipped back over to her desk to begin sorting the files.

Two hours later she was finally finished with the papers. She stretched and sighed. She checked her watch. Good God! It was only 10:20. Well. Maybe she could be finished with the other host of things she was supposed to do today before lunch. She decided to first give the enormous pile to the Asshole. Despite the fact that the stack was about twenty pounds, Sakura knew she could handle it easily. She infused her hands with some chakra (medic-nin in training remember?) and effortlessly shifted it. She walked with it, looking like a body with a mound of paper for a head. When she came to the door she turned it with her hip and a deft maneuver, and bumped the door open.

Sasuke looked up and saw a mountain of papers with legs…very nice legs in fact. They were smooth and elegant, and they went on and on and on and….Sasuke shook himself mentally. What the hell was wrong with him?

Sakura continued to his desk and asked 'Where do you want it A-, I mean Uchiha-san?' Sakura was intensely glad for the mass covering her face. She had been about to say Asshole, and her face had heated up like a kettle. She could almost feel the steam coming out of her ears. Sasuke frowned. She had been about to say something else. He wondered what it was. He shoved it to the back of his mind.

Injecting as much nonchalance and disinterest into his voice as possible he said 'How did you organize it Miss Haruno?' She blinked. He had called her by name, instead of 'you' or without an address at all. Weird. But what was up with that tone? And then she remembered he had asked her a question.

'I organized by date with subsections in alphabetical order and then by category. Then on the very top are the newest ones that still need to be seen by you Uchiha-san.'

Sasuke was impressed though he didn't show it. But besides. It wasn't like she could see him behind that load. Speaking of which, she must be a lot stronger than she looked. He knew how much that pile weighed. He was the one who had dumped it on her desk in the first place! And he had firsthand experience of the power behind her slaps. He winced and gingerly touched the place where she had hit him.

He was pretty sure that was going to leave a mark. 'Well Miss Haruno, I suppose that is adequate. You can re file them over there.' He gestured towards the filing cabinets before remembering that she couldn't see him. Sakura was yelling on the inside. (A:N/ bold type is inner person yes?) 'What the hell? Adequate? Who does he freaking think he is?'

'**Well I'm sure he thinks he's Uchiha freaking Sasuke, that's who.'**

'Oh shut up.'

'**Is that any way to talk to your inner self?'**

'I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!'

'**Alright, alright…jeez…somebody's cranky…'**

Sakura took a deep breath. Arguments with herself were entirely and utterly unhelpful. She made her way over to the filing cabinets and dropped the pile as hard as possible. There was a muffled _Whump! _Sasuke looked up and smirked. This was revenge for the stupid coffee. Sakura knelt and yanked the first drawer open hard. She started putting the files away.

Sasuke kept looking. Her hair was unusual…very pretty though. It was sort of shimmery. He wondered what it would look like loose. Sakura suddenly turned like she could feel his gaze. Her eyes were narrowed and he looked up quickly, feigning nonchalance.

Suddenly the door burst open. 'Yo! Teme! I have a couple- ' 'Wait a second…Sakura-chan?' Sakura whirled around. She knew that voice.

'Naruto? What are you doing here?' Naruto crossed the room and hugged her hard.

'I work here. Remember? I told you I worked for an important businessman.' He grinned, and stuck out his chest. Sakura smiled too. 'Well, now I work here as well.'

Said important businessman cleared his throat. Two heads turned his way. 'Dobe? Your report?' Sakura was confused. What was with the random names? Naruto saw her puzzled expression and chuckled. 'We've known each other forever…and those have always been our nicknames.' He explained. (OMG! 0_o Naruto _explained _something?) She nodded, still looking a little confused. Then he turned to Sasuke saying 'Our Korean connections reported that they could guarantee about a 43.2% increase in productivity on our side, which equals quite a large profit margin so…we need to meet with them about this and confirm the deal.' Sasuke nodded, looking pleased. 'Thanks dobe.'

'No problem teme.'

Naruto returned his attention to Sakura and whispered 'Sakura-chan, stop by my office sometime and I'll introduce you to everyone! But don't let teme know!' She smiled.

Another cough from 'Teme' brought a large grin to Naruto's face. 'See you Sakura-chan!' Naruto practically skipped out of the room. The door closed behind him. It was quiet for a few moments and then Sasuke said 'Out of curiosity, how do you know him?' Sakura turned quickly, still smiling.

'He used to be my neighbour, and a really good friend but he moved to a different apartment block about three years ago, and I haven't seen him much since…I was kind of scared when he showed up because when he lived next door he had a huge crush on me.' Her smile grew wider. 'One time he showed up where I worked on my birthday and hung a huge banner from the second floor balcony railings…He even had a giant cake delivered.' She didn't mention the part about him having asked her out on a date in front of her whole office…or almost getting fired because she 'couldn't keep her love life out of her professional life' That's why she hadn't told him when she switched jobs. 'I thought it might have been my birthday today.'

She giggled, and then stopped. He was laughing. Why was she telling him this? She flushed and shot a glance at him. He was still chuckling. His whole face was lit up. She noticed suddenly. _He's adorable when he laughs. _She shook herself mentally. What was wrong with her today?

Another glance showed her that Sasuke was looking at her funny. Why? Then she realized she had actually shaken her head. She blushed even more. 'I'll just…the last of them away…' She hurried to the last of the files, stuffed them in and went through the adjoining door to her office in a rush. She closed it quickly and leaned on it breathing a little heavily. Why was she flustered?

She sighed, and walked to her desk. Hmmm. She would deal with the appointments and meetings and then take Naruto up on his offer. She wanted to be away from Sasuke for a while. Being around him made her feel…strange.

Twenty minutes later she had finished the list he had given her that morning minus the dry cleaning. That would have to wait till she left for lunch…if he let his employees have a lunch break. She stretched, and rose from the chair. It really was very comfortable.

She started to go towards the door when she realized she had no idea how to get to Naruto's office. The place was like a maze. With this last thought, she didn't put her foot down to take another step, but turned on the heel of her shoe with a graceful spin, and walked back to the desk. She picked up the phone, and called an orderly. Before she had finished putting down the receiver, one had arrived. She shivered.

It really was a little strange how efficient they were in this place. The orderly bowed. 'How may I help you Haruno-san?' She blushed. He was calling her –san, and all she was going to do was ask him for directions? 'Um, could you point me in the direction of, um, Uzumaki Naruto's office please?' The orderly bowed again.

'Of course. Right this way.' He swept out of her office and she followed him. Two minutes later he stopped in a hallway and pointed her to the right door. She thanked him profusely, and he disappeared, needed elsewhere in the house. The corridor was richly furnished, much like the rest of the house, and as she went along she heard voices. Not voices. Naruto's voice.

She came to the door and was about to push it open when – 'C'mon Tenten! I promise it really is in the magazine! You have to answer the questions to find out which product is best for you! Look!'

'No Naruto!'

'Please!' Sakura stifled a giggle at the thought of whoever was on the receiving end of Naruto's puppy dog face. There was a sigh. 'Alright fine! Ask your damn questions!'

'Yes! Ok, first one: What's your zodiac sign?'

'Aquarius. Why does that matter?'

'You'll find out at the end! How often do you buy and or wear makeup?'

'Really? Well, Mr. Avon Representative I don't buy makeup unless it's a really special occasion and I only wear lipgloss, unless it's a very special occasion.'

'Whoa…it says most women in Konoha at least own lipstick and blush! I guess you're just strange Tenten.'

'You wanna own my fist?'

'Sorry, sorry…ok next question.' Naruto giggled. 'What's your bra size?'

'What the hell? Naruto, I am going to fuck you up!' There was a loud crash, and a whimper. 'Sorry Tenten! Don't hurt me!' Sakura was about to go in and stop the fight when a new voice joined the argument. 'You know Dickless, that was probably a stupid question to ask her.'

'Thank you Sai! Now come over here and help me chop off his balls and shove them in his mouth!'

'Oh my pleasure. We'll see if he really is dickless.'

At this last comment Sakura burst out laughing and pushed the door open. A woman with two brown buns on either side of her head had her foot on Naruto's chest, hand poised to strike. She was glaring at him, murder in her eyes. Naruto was flat on his back under her foot, trying and failing to calm her. There was a man leaning casually against the wall watching the scene unfold.

His face was like a human mask; completely expressionless. They all looked up at the same time. The man immediately smiled; a plastic smile. Naruto cheered 'Sakura-chan, you're just in time to rescue me!'

Sakura was still laughing, great gasping fits of laughter. The woman called Tenten didn't let up. She pulled her fist back. Sakura stopped laughing enough to choke out between giggles 'No…wait…haha…don't…hahaha…hurt him…'

Tenten looked from her to Naruto and back. Finally, she grudgingly released him, and stepped back, brushing at her suit. Naruto sat up, holding his head. 'Jeez Tenten, what did I say?' Sakura had calmed down by this point. She casually walked over to him and held a hand out, while she infused chakra into the other one. He grinned and gripped the outstretched one. She yanked him up and punched him on the head so he fell right back down. 'Ouch! What the hell Sakura-chan?' She dusted her palms.

'You idiot. You don't EVER ask a girl what her bra size is.' Tenten snorted, and grinned.

'Nice one. I'm Tenten.' She walked forward, stepping on Naruto's stomach, extracting a loud _Oof! _Sakura shook her hand.

The man sidled up next to Tenten. 'And I'm Sai. How are you?' She shook his hand too, a little creeped out. 'So I'm guessing you heard all that back there?' said Tenten. She rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed.

Naruto was picking himself up for the second time. 'Aw, Sakura-chan you hit hard…I still don't get what I did. All I wanted to know was her -' Tenten looked imploringly at Sakura. She nodded. Tenten jumped forward, shoving off the desk and decked him on the cheek. He flew backwards and landed on a filing cabinet. 'OW!'

She landed in a crouch, and quickly straightened. Sakura snickered and high-fived Tenten. 'I think I'm going to like you.' She said. Tenten laughed and then checked her watch.

'Hey, do you wanna grab some lunch with us? Mr. Uchiha gives us a good while. Sai, you come too.'

'Thanks, Tenten.' Tenten turned and grabbed a purse from her worktable. Sai started out the door and they followed leaving a groaning, bruised Naruto on the cabinets.

Ten minutes later, all four of them were at Ichiraku's. Naruto's choice, of course. Sakura was between Naruto and Tenten, with Sai on the end. Naruto had quickly forgotten his pain, despite the colorful purple mark blossoming on his face, after eating ten bowls of ramen.

While Tenten goggled, Sakura giggled. She had forgotten how much he could eat. He sat back and patted his stomach, sighing contentedly. 'So Sakura-chan, does this count as that date?' Sakura glared at him. 'No Naruto. In case you forgot, or just didn't notice, there are two other, living breathing people here.'

There were snickers from behind her. She turned sharply. Tenten's cheeks were bulging with the force of keeping her laughter contained. Sai was actually laughing, a real human laugh. Not like the plastic emotions he'd had back in the office. 'Oh go ahead.' She said, huffing. Tenten shrieked with laughter, and fell off her stool.

Naruto was confused. 'What's so funny?' Sakura bit her lip, and smiled. 'Never mind Naruto.' Sai and Sakura lifted a shaking Tenten to her feet, back onto the stool. She apologized in between giggles. Sai looked at Sakura suddenly. 'What emotion is that? I don't think I've read about that one.' Tenten smacked him. 'Later Sai.' Sakura felt weirded out. This guy was one of the stranger people she'd met. They finished their meal, and headed back to the office.

At the door of the office, Naruto stopped suddenly. Sakura looked back at him. 'What's up?' she said. He looked like he had just had an epiphany. He looked at her. 'I just realized…Tenten-chan was laughing at me.' He said. He looked so devastated that she ran over and gave him a hug. Then she held him at arm's length. Now he looked like his birthday had come early. So she slapped him for good measure. 'Ouch! What the –' he stopped.

'Oh. Sorry Sakura-chan.' She shook her head.

'C'mon. I have to get back to work.' He nodded and then followed her.

'Wait a second. Sakura, do you know how to get back to your office?' She blushed. She hadn't thought about that. 'Um, no not really…' He chuckled at the expression on her face.

'I'll take you back. You really have to learn your way around.'

'Hey! It's only my first day! Don't be so mean!' she said, punching him lightly on the arm in mock protest. They chatted all the way back. She stopped at her office. 'Thanks Naruto! I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?' He grinned.

She opened the door, and closed it gently. And then she remembered. Shit. She'd forgotten the dry-cleaning. Wait. That was what delivery was for right? She breathed a sigh of relief. She went to her desk, and sat in her chair pushing it so it spun around. Despite her rough morning, she'd had a really good day so far. She picked up the receiver again, and looked over the array of cards on her desk. Tailor, Limo & Co.,..dry cleaning! She dialed the number, and arranged for it to be delivered.

They asked her if it should be delivered to the limo or to the house. She wondered why, but said the house anyway. Then she hung up, and realized that had been her last task. _Wonder if the Asshole wants anything else done. _She had better go ask him before he fired her for some reason of his creation, like how she didn't put his files in order of his favorite companies or some crap like that. Sighing with resignation, she trudged over to the door, and knocked softly. 'Come!' came the voice on the other side. She entered the room.

Sasuke was looking out of the window in his office, and his mother was sitting in a large, comfy armchair. Mikoto Uchiha burst into smiles. 'Sakura-chan! How are you? How did your first day of work go? I hope my son didn't try to scare you off.' With that last comment she shot a look at Sasuke.

He had turned around, and was watching the two of them, with a funny expression on his face. 'Um, it went…fine. Sas- I mean Mr. Uchiha has been very…welcoming.' Sasuke turned quickly to hide the look of amusement on his face, and had to bite his tongue hard to stop himself from laughing out loud. Welcoming? Well she could say that. He turned again, and his mother was beaming happily at Sakura, still gushing. She was just nodding, with a small smile on her face. She looked like she could be rescued about now, but he thought he'd let her sweat it out a little, as another small revenge for the coffee that may or may not have been poisoned. Finally, she sent him _Save me _look. He smiled inside and said, 'Mother don't smother her.' His mother turned to face him like she'd forgotten he was there.

'Oh yes! I'm sorry dear, what was it that you wanted?'

'Oh, um, I just wanted to tell Mr. Uchiha that I had finished the list he gave me this morning.' Mikoto smiled again. 'See Sasuke? Beautiful and efficient.' Sakura blushed.

'Yes, Mother.' said Sasuke.

'Anyway, I'll leave you two be. I'm sure you have some business to finish.' Sakura's color rose a few more degrees. Mikoto swept out of the room, gracefully, like a tiny dancer. As soon as the door closed, Sauke said 'So you finished the list did you? Well I gave you a light load as it was only your first day. Oh, and by the way, if you finished, then where's my dry cleaning?'

Sakura looked slightly annoyed by this comment.

'On it's way. I had it delivered.' She said in a flat voice. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door followed by a delivery man, and six or seven suits all shrouded in plastic. Sakura stared at the delivery man. He was dressed in a suit, like he was on a special business occasion or something. But he was holding out an electronic clipboard. 'Someone to sign for the delivery?' he asked.

Sakura moved forward after realizing that since Sasuke hadn't moved, that he probably didn't stoop to such low class activities. The thought that he would do something as heinous as signing a clipboard unless it would seal him a deal for several billion yen was probably ridiculous to him. She signed quickly. The delivery man thanked her, and she opened the door for him.

Just before she closed the it, he looked her up and down, and quickly said, 'You want to grab dinner sometime? Or you know…' He smiled a dirty smile at her. 'Play a game or two…' Sakura's anger boiled over instantly. She beckoned him closer. 'I'll tell you what I want…' He leaned forward, eager to hear what naughty message she might have for him. She put her lips to his ear, and then brought her knee up with the force of a rampaging bull where it would hurt.

He doubled over immediately, groaning, clutching at his crotch. Then she punched him in the face, making sure she put enough chakra into her hands to break his nose. He stumbled backwards and slid down against the wall. She walked up to where he was sprawled, and bent over so she was at eye level with him. One of his hands was clamped over his nose trying to stop the blood, while the other protected his crotch from further attack. She said 'Ever say something like that to me again, and I'll put you in the hospital.'

With that, she turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her. Then she remembered Sasuke. He had seen the whole thing and was staring at her with wide eyes. After a few tense seconds, he began to shake with silent laughter. 'Remind me never to hit on you!' Sakura's face had barely had time to cool after her encounter with Mikoto, and now it once again looked like a cherry.

She looked quickly at the floor. 'I-I'll just go…' She tried to leave as quickly as possible without running. 'Wait Miss Haruno! I forgot to give you this.' She looked at him. He still had a smile on his lips. He was holding out a small black object. 'It's a pager.' He explained. She nodded. She took it from him, fingertips just brushing his outstretched fingers. She snatched her hand back, and brought it to her side. She whirled, and walked into the door, as she had forgotten to open it. Sasuke burst into renewed laughter, practically bubbling over with mirth. (Out of character I know…)

Trembling with embarrassment, she opened it, and shot across the room. She grabbed her purse and jacket, and then made a beeline for the door. Sasuke's laughter followed her all the way down the corridor.

Once there, she calmed down a little. She thought she could probably remember the way she had come if she really tried, and even if she couldn't, there were enough servants in this place to lead her to Brazil and back. And sure enough, when she concentrated, she only made a few wrong turns and was able to make it back to Sasuke's bedroom. She blushed again remembering the events of that morning.

Then she shoved the thoughts away and thought about getting out. She knew she had a couple flights of stairs and about a gazillion corridors to get through. She couldn't go back to office. Sasuke would be there. Wait a second. Were those footsteps? An orderly rounded the corner and head off to the other end of the corridor. Sakura jumped at the chance, and praying for the off chance that he was going outside, she followed him.

Sasuke was back at his desk, still smiling. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed or smiled so much in one day. Or had a PA that might have poisoned his coffee. That one was completely new. Or, for that matter, one that disappeared with no explanation for chunks of the day. He had meant to say something, but then the delivery man had appeared. The smile got wider.

He leaned back in his chair, laced his fingers together, and placed them behind his head. She was remarkably okay for someone who had almost been raped, though it had been a while, hadn't it? About six months he thought. Even with that in her history, he wasn't planning to fire her anytime soon. But he wasn't going to tell her that. He smirked. He didn't know why, but he kind of enjoyed being near her. The smirk vanished as his thoughts drifted to the dinner about a month from then. He was going to have to see _him_. And no doubt _she_ would be with him too. His good mood went as quickly as it had come. He checked his watch. 2:38. Time to get back to work.

Ten minutes later Sakura emerged on the outside. The servant she had followed had taken some detours but she made it! Feeling some slight triumph, Sakura wended her way through the beautiful garden and across the bamboo bridge to the front gates. The guard was different this time. He smiled at her, and pressed a button. One side slowly swung open. She passed through, and walked out onto the streets of Konoha.

Sakura: why'd you make me look like an idiot in front of Sasuke?

Me: Cause I can…hehehehe….

Sakura: Your…you…you're evil that's what! *cries anime tears*

Sasuke: Yeah seriously, since when do _I _laugh? *Uchiha death glare*

Me: Oh shut up, before I make you clean a bathroom with your tongue or something!

Sasuke: You can't do that!

Me: *whips out laptop and starts typing*

Sasuke: OMG! You can! *goes toward bathroom sticking tongue out, crying.*

Me: Alright, alright. I'm not entirely merciless. *stops typing*

Sasuke: *is emo in corner*

Me: BWAHAHAHA..*cough cough* HA! Lol.

I am very sorry about how long this took! I feel like it's been collecting dust on my hard drive for ages. I had some serious writer's block, but then I was re-inspired and I feel like it came out alright. r&r please! Tell me if it came out ok…:D


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! Oh dear….it's been almost a year since I last updated…I don't really have an excuse, except that I kept taking it down cause I thought it wasn't good enough, but I'm mostly satisfied now…. Sorry! Please don't hate me. Here it is though. ANYWAY. Shout out to Morto Vivo (love ya! :D), GinsengH, and Sunmii! I apologize for the massive walls of text and have tried to break it up more. So once again, I don't own Naruto yadda yadda...must I go through it every time? Yeah cause I don't wanna get sued…so yes, chapter 5!

_Recap: Feeling some slight triumph, Sakura wended her way through the beautiful garden and across the bamboo bridge to the front gates. The guard was different this time. He smiled at her, and pressed a button. One side slowly swung open. She passed through, and walked out onto the streets of Konoha._

Sakura unlocked the door of her apartment, and was just going inside…when something pounced on her from behind. She whirled around, immediately in attack mode, and then relaxed when she saw it was Ino. Ino had her hands up protecting her face, and was laughing. 'Oi, be careful! Remind me not to sneak up on you!' Sakura blushed a little, remembering words very similar to what Ino had said. Ino slowly took in her expression, and a sly look crossed her face. Catching Sakura unawares, she pinned her arms to her sides, and frog marched her inside.

'Tell me everything!' she said, as soon as the door had closed. Sakura looked at her.

'Everything about what?' Ino sighed.

'Forehead, you can be so dense sometimes. I worry about you.'

'Oh yeah, Ino-pig? Well you can be-'

'No changing the subject! You are going to tell me every last detail of what happened on your first day of work, with the hottest billionaire alive!' She was practically on top of Sakura as she said this, their noses inches apart. Then they both burst out laughing. Sakura grinned at her friend.

'Fine, fine.' She let her jacket slip onto the floor, and sat down at the kitchen table. Ino's eyes gleamed, eager to hear what she had to say. And so Sakura began to speak.

She started from the beautiful blouses she had received in the mail early that morning, and modeled the shirt, only to have Ino squeal for a couple minutes. Then she began the part where she had first entered Sasuke's bedroom. Ino was completely silent hands clenched, eyes shining through this, until Sakura told her how he had treated her. She exploded upwards, like lava out of a volcano, a force to be reckoned with.

'How dare he call my best friend a bitch? No one calls you that except me!' Sakura tried to soothe her, and eventually got her to sit again, glaring, and arms crossed. She continued her story. She told her about the list, ('no wonder you call him the asshole!') and the stupid coffee. Ino snorted. 'Serves him right.' From there on she kept strangely quiet, aside from exclaiming, 'Naruto? I never would have thought…guess he has a brain after all.' Strange, because Ino was NEVER quiet. Or, if she was, then there was generally a very good reason behind it. Or maybe she was scheming…with her you just never knew.

By the time she had finished telling Ino every detail of what happened that day, it was getting dark. Ino had a dangerous grin on her face, the one you might see if you stared a lioness in the face before it ate you. Sakura studied her face. 'Why are you smiling at me like that?' Ino just shook her head.

'Like what?'

'Don't give me that. You know what I mean.'

'You'll figure it out…hopefully.'

'Figure what out?' But Ino refused to budge. Instead, she said,

'I'll tell you when you do perfectly the first week and are off 'probation.' She said, using air quotes. Then she changed the subject to the guys, plural, that she was currently dating, and her so far unsuccessful search for a job. Their conversation stretched on until the wee hours over Sakura's special hot chocolate recipe.

*****SIX DAYS LATER*****

Sakura stood outside the adjoining door of her office and Sasuke's and took a deep breath. Nervous butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. Today she might get off probation, or her career might be sabotaged. Sasuke had told her to arrive at exactly 7:00. She had no idea why, but she was going to follow his instructions to the letter. The stakes were too high if he had really meant what he had said the first day, and she had no doubt that he had.

She checked her watch again. 6:59:20. Forty seconds left. The second hand seemed to be going slowly. She tapped her foot both out of anxiety, and to pass the time, but the clacking noise her pumps made was too much right then. She stopped. Another glance. 6:59:50. Ten seconds. She could swear the seconds were practically crawling by. Finally. 5…4…3…2…She knocked. There was no reply. She knocked again. Again no reply. Eventually, with one last stabilizing breath, she pushed the door open.

The office was empty. _He must be running late. _She thought. So she decided to wait. There was no sign of him ten minutes later. She was becoming annoyed now. How could he make her wait in suspense like this? Fifteen minutes. Twenty. Half an hour. Sakura was pissed at this point. She sat angrily in one of the armchairs, clenching and unclenching her fists. Oh, he was lucky he was her boss. Otherwise, when he came in, he would have ended up like the delivery man.

After forty five minutes, she gave up being angry. It took too much effort. Her thoughts floated lazily. Her head drooped forward onto her chest. She had been so anxious that she hadn't slept much. She was so tired…

_A dark street. Footsteps behind her. A look behind showed drunken men. Shit. She couldn't fight them off like she could normally. She was way too low on chakra as she had spent the day treating a large squad of ninjas who had returned that day. And she had no soldier pills. Walk faster! The footsteps sped up too. Catcalls and wolf whistles followed her. If she didn't get away soon she was going to be in a very bad position. She looked behind again. The men behind her were …morphing. Their skin rippled and shivered. Coarse hair sprouted. Faces lengthened, and grew fangs. Nails stretched into wicked claws. And then they loomed closer, and closer until finally…_

The door clicked ajar, and Sakura jerked awake, eyes snapping to the source of the sound. She stood quickly, all her annoyance flooding back in a rush. It must be Sasuke. Sure enough, the rest of the door quickly swung forward followed by Sasuke himself. He looked up at her, smirked, and then went to his desk. She gaped at him. He just ignored her! 'Mr. Uchiha, what-' she began.

'You're off probabtion.' came the quiet reply.

Sakura stopped mid-yell. Then, slowly, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes shone with happiness. She launched herself at Sasuke and hugged him hard, streams of thanks pouring from her. He stiffened, eyes wide. He was too stunned to do anything but stand there, arms limply at his sides which was strange because he'd been in this same position with fangirls and hadn't had any trouble flipping them off him. She released him suddenly, a slight blush in her cheeks. She was too happy to think about what she had just done. Eyes still sparkling, she asked 'So what do you have for me today?' He was shell-shocked, and struggled to connect his brain to his tongue. Eventually, he cleared his throat and said 'You-you have the day off…' Sakura gasped, and gave him a flash of white teeth.

'Thank you Uchiha-san!' She skipped off, leaving him dazed. He leaned heavily back against the desk, wondering what had just happened. He could still feel the outline of her body. He rubbed his arms unconsciously. She smelled like…jasmine and vanilla. (Hehe…cause I'm tired of the same old cherries…And I love jasmine) He ran a shaky hand through his hair. An unknown emotion was coursing through him, powerful and terrifying. He decided to work. Get it out of his system. Gingerly, he walked behind his desk and sat. He hunched his shoulders against the world and started to scribble.

Sakura pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial. On the third ring Ino answered with a thick, sleepy 'Hello?'

'Ino! We're having a girl's day! Get out of bed, I'm coming over!'

'What?' she asked, sounding slightly more alert.

'I'm off probation Pig! We're celebrating, so get your lazy ass up!'

'Really? Forehead that's awesome! But do I really have to get up…?' Sakura hung up, ignoring the question. A few minutes later, she was battering Ino's door. It remained closed. She sighed and stretched up onto her toes, lacing her fingers, and holding them high above her head. She jumped, alighting onto the low ledge of the balcony of Ino's apartment, heels and all, and poked her fingers into a small, secret crack only she and Ino knew about, and retrieved a key. She dismounted gracefully, and inserted the key. The door swung open. She went inside, placing the key on the little hallway table. Then she headed to Ino's room. It was dark, curtains drawn against the sun. She rolled her eyes, and strode to the window, wrenching the curtains apart, sending bright sunlight streaming onto the bed, eliciting a groan from its inhabitant. An arm emerged from the tangle of sheets and pillows. It groped around. Sakura asked 'What are you doing?'

'Looking for the eject button.' Then, 'You're not going to go away are you?'

'Nope.' Ino sat up and flung the pillow away, sighing dramatically.

'Ah, it is a cruel, cruel world. One where people with huge foreheads do not let their sleeping friends lie…' Sakura picked up the discarded pillow which had landed near her, and fired it back at Ino. It hit her squarely in the face. Sakura burst out laughing. 'I'll go make coffee. Get dressed.'

Once in the kitchen, she spooned some instant coffee into a mug, and set water to boil. As she waited for it, she thought about getting off probation. That sent a bolt of embarrassment through her. She had hugged him! What the hell had she been thinking? She sank to the floor, face in her hands, ready to die. How was she going to face him the next time she saw him? What was he going to think? Was he going to sue her for assault? Ino shuffled into the kitchen, yawning. She spotted Sakura. 'What's wrong honey?' she asked, sliding down next to her. Sakura mumbled something unintelligible. 'What?' said Ino, leaning closer. 'I-I…._hugged_…him…' Ino fell backwards onto the tiles and shrieked with laughter. Sakura's face burned hotter. When Ino could breathe again, she put an arm around her friend and helped her to her feet.

By this time, the water in the kettle had boiled, so she sat Sakura down on a beanbag chair, and added coffee to a second mug, and poured water into both of them. She carried the steaming mugs over to the couch next to where Sakura was, and handed one to her, who received it with mechanical reflexes. She took a sip, and immediately spat it out. 'What is this?' she cried, rising. Ino chuckled. Sakura hated black coffee. Her plan had worked. Sakura stalked off to the kitchen. She spooned six spoons of sugar into the coffee followed by a dollop of cream, and cinnamon mixed with chocolate. (Yes, I do realize this means Ino has a Starbucks in her apartment. :D) She strutted back to Ino, saying 'THIS is a proper cup of coffee. Watch and learn from the experts.' Ino took a large gulp of hers, and sighed in satisfaction. 'Coffee is the elixir of life. Now tell me what happened!'

Sakura cringed. She took a deep breath. 'H-he told me to get there at 7 exactly, and then when I walked in he wasn't there…I waited for more than an hour and when he came in I was ready to let him have it…but then he said I was off probation, and I just…I don't know. I was so excited that I hugged him!' She purposely left out the dream. She knew Ino was worried about her enough as it was. Ino smirked.

'And tell me Forehead, how did that hug feel?' Sakura shot her a glance and replied 'I'd rather not think about it actually. What am I going to do the next time I see him? Does hugging count as an assault charge?' Ino giggled.

'Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fine. With a face like that he's probably fought off hordes of girls.' Sakura looked at her hopefully.

'Do you really think so?'

'Of course!' Ino crowed, swallowing the last dregs of her coffee. 'And now, Forehead, I can take you for a _real _'girl's day out'.' Sakura stuck her tongue out at her.

'Yeah, yeah Pig. Just hurry up.'

Ino reappeared a few minutes later dressed in a miniskirt, and body fitting t-shirt. 'Let's go Forehead!' Sakura nodded, and placed her coffee cup in the sink. She darted into Ino's bedroom, and grabbed a ruffled, black skirt. She pulled it on, tripping a little. She admired the effect in the full length mirror. Black skirt, blue top, and purple heels. It looked pretty good. (Or at least it does in my head) She pranced over to Ino, who took in her appearance, giggled, and then held the door open. Then they headed out to find some adventure in the village.

Two hours later they were in a shop trying on outfit after outfit, despite the thirty plus pile of bags scattered around their feet. Ino was admiring a tight, slinky, black minidress on herself. It was a halter, which left a large circle of her back bare. Sakura was sitting in a large ottoman chair applauding or booing each of the outfits Ino modeled for her. (Ino was going to have a date the next day.) Sakura gave the dress two thumbs up. She herself would probably never have the courage to wear it, but it looked amazing on Ino. 'I think this is the one!' said Ino, with enthusiasm. And with that decided, she bought the dress proclaiming 'And now I'm gonna spend the last of my money on drinking and clubbing! This is the life!' Sakura laughed, and hooked her arm with Ino's. Together they marched out of the store.

Sasuke shoved his work away, irritated. He couldn't stop thinking about that hug Why? He didn't know. Which pissed him off even more. And work wasn't helping. He dragged his hands over his face. That did it. He was going out. He pushed off the top of the desk, and strode out of the room.

Ino slammed the shot glass down, shaking violently with laughter, eyes streaming. 'NO! Really? Oh my god Sakura…that's hilarious…' Sakura held her stomach, also crying from laughing so hard. 'Yeah.' She said. 'And then he said chicken!' (No idea, so don't ask…lol) Ino burst into renewed fits, slapping the table and gasping for breath. Sakura suddenly noticed two men walking towards their table. All humor evaporated instantly, replaced by a concrete knowledge. Nothing was going to happen. Never again. She squinted at them. One of them looked…familiar. The guy who had delivered the laundry! Feeling a little sadistic, she waved him over. They grinned and sped up…until the delivery man recognized her and stopped dead. His hand unconsciously moved up to his nose. Sakura felt a wave of triumph lift her, and she raised three fingers, mouthing _Read between the lines._ He turned and hurried away dragging his confused friend with him. Ino watched the encounter with interest. 'Do I want to know?' Sakura looked smug.

'The Asshole's delivery man.' She said. Ino was taken aback, but then high fived Sakura. About forty five minutes later, they finally left the bar, Ino staggering only a little. They headed to Sakura's apartment.

Around the same time, Sasuke was also walking the streets. He'd had a few drinks, and was feeling a nice buzz. All his thoughts were shrouded in a comfortable fog. He looked towards the sky, expecting a clear night with stars. Instead he saw a solid wall of clouds. Little flashes of lightning lit it from within every few seconds. He frowned. That bank was about to burst. Sure enough, as soon as he thought it a drop hit his upturned face. It quickly became heavy, the rain icy, feeling like little needles hitting him. His head cleared quickly. He dug furiously in his pocket for his phone. Shit. No battery. Where was his wallet? No money either. That meant calling a car was out.

A peal of thunder rolled, piercing the quiet of the night. Almost immediately afterwards, a streak of lightning split the sky down the middle, illuminating a figure coming up the street fast. Sasuke knew he couldn't stay out in this, or walk home. The temperature was dropping fast. He needed to find somewhere to stay till it passed. The figure grew more defined. He squinted hard through the sheeting rain. Was that…? Sakura! Before he knew what he was doing, he had yelled her name. Her head turned sharply in his direction. She waved and came closer, dragging her giggling friend. 'Mr. Uchiha?' she asked. 'What are you doing out here?'

'I was just out and then…' he gestured helplessly at the storm around them.

'How are you getting back?'

'I'm not. My phone's dead.'

'Are you going to stay somewhere?' He shook his head. She debated for a second, indecisive, remembering the hug, feeling weird because he was her boss, and then she said 'You can't stay out in this. Come with us. You can wait at my place till it's over.' Surprised, Sasuke nodded. She smiled. 'This is Ino.' She said. Ino laughed. 'How's it going Mr. Uchiha?' Sakura sighed.

'I really shouldn't let you drink so much…C'mon. It's not far. That building up ahead.' She said, pointing. She set off again, and Sasuke followed.

Sakura opened the door. She was completely soaked, her hair plastered to the back of neck, clothes sticking to her. Sasuke stepped over the threshold, interested to see where Sakura lived. He was in a short hallway with a polished wooden floor. There was an untidy pile of shoes near the front door. She took her shoes off and he did the same. Ino was already in front of them both. Sakura faced and surveyed him. He was in simple black jeans and a black shirt. Huh. She hadn't really pegged him as one for too much color. 'Come in.' she said, leading the way. He followed her. They entered a small kitchen with a round table in the middle. Ino was already sitting, dripping a puddle onto the floor. 'Mr. Uchiha…' Ino slurred. Sasuke looked up at the mention of his name. 'I have a bone to pick with you…' Sakura looked daggers at her friend, and hissed through clenched teeth, 'Shut up!' Ino giggled.

'Hey Sakura!' she called. 'Remember I said I would tell you something today?'

'Yeah. What about it?'

'I'm gonna tell you now. Get over here.' Sakura traipsed over to her friend. Ino whispered something. Sakura's face instantly flamed bright red. 'What the hell? No I don't!'

'You so do!'

'Don't!'

'Why are you defensive then? You know what? I'll just ask-' Sakura covered Ino's mouth with her hand. There was a small tussle. 'Don't you dare! Don't you have a 'friend' who lives in this building?' Ino smirked.

'Why yes I do Forehead. I think I'll pay him a visit.' With that she sashayed down the hall, bowing jauntily to Sasuke and left the apartment. Sakura exhaled as the door closed, feeling a strong urge to hit something. Ino appeared by the window. Very slowly, she mouthed _you have the hots for Sasuke!_ miming her words angrily shot her the bird. Ino put up her hands in surrender and disappeared from sight. Sakura turned, muttering to herself. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. 'Any chance you're going to tell me what that was about?' Sakura flinched, like she was startled. 'Um…no.' She hastened to the counter.

Sasuke took the opportunity to take in her clothes. She was wearing skinny jeans and a loose black waistcoat with a short sleeved blue shirt underneath. A checked scarf hung off her neck, sodden and heavy. Her hair was loose and dripping. She was barefoot. So this was how she looked when she wasn't working. Suddenly she turned around. She walked to the table, holding two mugs topped with whipped cream, and set one in front of him. He looked at it dubiously, remembering her first day of work. 'Try it.' She said. 'Hot chocolate. My specialty.' Gingerly, he picked it up and raised it to his lips. Flavors danced on his taste buds. It was good. Really good. It was rich dark chocolate, laced with spices unfamiliar to him. He looked at her. She was gauging his reaction, taking a sip herself. 'Wow.' He said. 'What's in this? It's amazing.' She smiled.

'Cooks never reveal their secrets.'

'I think that's magicians.' She grinned. His heart skipped a beat. He looked down at himself in astonishment. Since when did his heart skip beats? He made a mental note to visit his cardiologist. Recovering his implacable Uchiha composure quickly, he casually asked 'So, why were you out in that storm?' She blushed.

'I- we were…celebrating. That I got off probation.' She looked away, embarrassed. He chuckled. 'Gosh. That and a hug? (Her face was now so red that she looked as if she would explode.) I'm surprised. I didn't realize you had such enthusiasm for reorganizing files.' She glared. 'Well I wouldn't have such a taste for it if my boss wasn't a slave-driver!' she shot back, immediately gasping and covering her mouth. Her face drained of color, searching him frantically for a reaction. He set the mug on the table carefully, rearranging his face into an emotionless mask.

'Well Miss Haruno. I am sorry you feel that way.'

'I-I…didn't mean...um…I'm so sorry, it just came out!' Sasuke burst out laughing. Her white face immediately heated back up again. 'Sorry…couldn't resist…' he managed, through his laughter. Her eyes narrowed to slits. _Asshole. Fucking making me worry. _He caught her stare, and tried valiantly to calm himself. For someone who kept his emotions reigned in as tightly as he did, it wasn't difficult. The laughter stopped. He stared back at her. For a second, she held it, and then broke the connection. She studied the rim of her mug intently, as though it had suddenly grown tentacles, and took a draught.

When the mug came away, it left a foamy white mustache across her top lip. Sasuke felt the beginnings of more laughter but smothered them, and pointed to her mouth. 'You have-' she touched her upper lip, turned away, and then scrubbed at it with the back of her hand. Sasuke kept his chuckling to himself. She flushed again, and then shivered as a drop of water hit the back of her neck from her hair. 'Oh! Jeez, I forgot I was still wearing wet clothes…shit…I mean, shoot.' She said, glancing at him. 'Now I'm gonna get sick…I'll be right back.' She rose and disappeared down the passageway.

Sasuke sat back. It was strange. He let his guard down so much when he was around Sakura. Did she really think of him as a slave driver? He shifted uncomfortably, unhappy with the thought. Why did he care what she thought? He'd known her for all of five days. Unless you counted the night he'd rescued her. Five days and a night. Five really great days. He'd finally identified the strange emotion he'd been feeling. It was happiness. And then there was that inexplicable reason why he wanted her near him. It had started when he first met her in his bedroom and had gotten stronger with the hug. That hug. Why? It had never happened with any of his other assistants. Well. But no. He wouldn't go there. And now he was in her house. Why would she do that? He chugged the last of the hot chocolate, confused, and feeling the beginnings of a headache.

Sakura peeled the wet clothes from her skin, feeling cold. Why had she allowed him to stay with her till the storm was over? Why didn't she just leave him out there? He was rich wasn't he? Couldn't he have found somewhere? Ino's words snuck into her mind. Was it possible? She shook her head furiously. No. It couldn't. And even if it was, he was her boss! The thought didn't leave her. Stupid Ino. She took a towel from the bathroom and dried her hair a bit. Then, she looked at her closet. She frowned. This was going to take a little thought. She couldn't just pull on any old pair of sweats like she wanted to. Not while he was there. She bit her lip, considering. And it struck her. Why should Sasuke care what she looked like anyway? And for that matter, why should she care what he thought? A chill crept down her spine. Ino couldn't be right. Could she? Her head spun a little from the booze, and too much thinking.

Sakura emerged a few minutes later, dressed in a form fitting black hoodie and a new pair of sweats she'd bought that day. They had the characters for peace, love and happiness emblazoned on the side, and the letters were dragons. Sasuke heard her coming, and turned.

She had pulled her hair back, away from her face. 'That took a while.' said Sasuke. 'I half expected you to come out in a dress.' She winced. Had it been that long? She absently brushed at something on her face. Sasuke caught the movement. The urge to touch the place her fingers had left overwhelmed him. He looked around quickly for something to distract him. Several pictures on the wall caught his attention. He got up and walked to them. It was a picture of a laughing family. A dark haired man and a woman with shocking pink hair both holding the hands of an equally bright haired girl. Their smiling faces peered at him from behind the glass of the frame.

'Is this your family?' he asked as Sakura joined him.

'Yes.'

'Where are your parents now?'

'They passed away a few years ago. Died on their return from a mission.'

'I'm sorry…' Sasuke began.

'Don't be.' She said, looking at him hard suddenly. 'By the way, why did you make me wait so long?' Sasuke drew a blank for a second, caught up in wondering why she had changed the subject so abruptly.

'Oh, I pull that on all the new PA's. I see how long they wait before they get annoyed and leave. It's because my schedule shifts so much. They need to be completely flexible. Congratulations. You passed.' She snorted.

'And there was I thinking you were just late. Of course there was some deeper meaning.' He laughed. 'How many PA's have you had that passed?' she asked, feeling curious. His expression was unreadable.

'You, and…one other…' He said flatly, his expression darkening. Then his face cleared.

'Usually that bit is that last straw for most people. It's amusing to watch it happen though.'

'Watch it? What do you mean?'

'Oh? There's a camera in the office.' Sakura felt herself going red. Had he seen her fall asleep? 'Um,' she cleared her throat. 'How long were you watching?' He smirked.

'You seemed to have calmed down, or rather, come out of a murderous rage. I felt like it was safe to enter at that point. I would say I stopped shortly after you shamelessly dropped into my armchair.' She flushed darker. _But at least he didn't see me dreaming…_

He stepped sideways to a picture of she, Ino and Naruto.

'Your strange friend knows Naruto as well?' She smiled at the mention of Ino being strange.

'Yes. You might imagine she's here all the time so he got to know her pretty well.'

'Funny. So Naruto actually has a life?' She giggled.

'Of course he does!' Sasuke looked slightly pained.

'I suppose this means I shall have to apologize for not believing him.' Sakura smiled widely. Sasuke grinned back, his face feeling slightly uncomfortable as it tried to remember the muscles it was supposed to use.

Suddenly, he noticed the pounding of the rain had let up to become a light pitter patter. He looked to the window. Sure enough, it was stopping. One of those quick, but violent storms. Sakura followed his gaze. Neither of them said anything as Sasuke began to leave. She accompanied him down the hallway like before. He stopped before the door and turned to her. 'Thank you Miss Haruno. I appreciate your hospitality.' he said, awkwardly formal. She gave a small smile, and nodded. He opened the door and walked outside. She closed it, waving. He started to walk forward and then stopped.

It had just occurred to him that he would like to see her again. He half ran, half fell down the stairs seriously disturbed by his last thought. He decided he would run it off, and that hopefully by the time he was home, he would have exhausted himself to the point of no thought. So motivated, he ran, shoes pounding on the asphalt.

Almost as soon as he left, a woman skipped to Sakura's and banged, humming. No one answered. The woman tapped her foot impatiently. Rolling her eyes, she pushed it open, and was met with resistance. 'Sakura! There's something in front of…' Ino stopped midsentence, realizing that the weight was Sakura herself. She pushed through the opening anxiously. After realizing her friend was merely in shock, a knowing smirk worked its way onto her face. 'Have you finally figured out that I was right?' Sakura glared at her from the floor. 'You can't be right…you just…can't.' Ino helped Sakura up and walked her to the couch. She plopped down. Sakura sat more slowly. 'What happened?' demanded Ino. 'He was shaking himself like a wet dog when he left!' Sakura gaped. 'You were watching him?'

'Of course! I wouldn't leave my best friend alone with some guy she doesn't know she likes.'

'I don't like him!'

'Oh really? Then why did you offer him hot chocolate?

'Hospitality! I was just being polite!'

'Of course you were. And what about the conversation I know you two struck up?'

'Small talk!'

'And your clothes? Those are brand new sweat pants! You never wear new stuff until it's at least a week old! You bought those today!'

'I-I…well…I thought I should…because…he's my boss!'

'Listen Sakura, there are some things in this world that I just know. And now, I'm going to prove it to you.' Sakura just looked into space, completely unresponsive.

'Right. I'm going to ask you questions, ok?' Sakura felt herself nod a little. 'Well then, here we go. Do you feel happier when he walks into the room?'

'NO!'

'And from the emphatic no that was obviously a yes.'

'Screw you.' Ino waved away the insult, continuing her interrogation.

'Do you think about him? Damn.' Said Ino. 'C'mon Sakura, I sound like a fucking shrink…hurry up and do it yourself!'

Come to think of it, thought Sakura, she thought about him a lot more than was normal for someone she had just met. She had hugged him! And just look at how she had acted that night. She had picked out her clothes wondering what he would think. She cared what he would think! Shit. No. Shit. She snatched a pillow from beside her and buried her face in it. She liked him. How could she like someone who she had nicknamed the Asshole? Someone who so obviously turned on the charm when he felt like it? She'd been sucked under, and she was angry with herself. Ino practically cackled. 'For the love of God, Ino, is there nothing sacred anymore?' Came her muffled voice from under the pillow.

'I could have had any ancient, decrepit businessman for a boss and there would have been no problem! But no. I had to get the sexy twenty something year old. What am I going to do? I can't go back to work now!' Ino looked at her disgustedly.

'Will you wait five seconds? I'm trying to gloat here.' Without removing the pillow from her face, Sakura estimated where her friend would be judging from her voice, and jabbed a punch in her direction. Ino caught it easily. 'Hey, hey.' She said. 'Friends fight nicely.' As she said it, she whipped the cushion out of Sakura's grasp. Sakura groaned, and fell back against the couch. Ino sighed. 'Alright, alright. Here's my advice. Just go to work and act normally…let things fall into place as they will!'

'…'

'Fine! You want me to give you a break down? A step by step plan?' Sakura closed her eyes. It was going to be a long night.

Sasuke slammed the door to his bedroom, breathing hard from the run. The light flicked on as he did. He crossed the room in several long strides and flopped facedown onto his bed, wet clothes and all, sinking into the down. He rolled over, sighing. The faint tastes of cinnamon and chocolate lingered on his tongue convincing him that his night had been real. His thoughts whirled around his mind madly. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Only that he had gone out to rid himself of strange, unwanted feelings, and came back with twice the number roaring over him like a truck. What was he going to do? He sighed again, and clapped his hands once. Soft, tinkling music filled the air with a sweet melody. A second time, twice and the curtains closed. He clapped one last time. The lights winked out. He didn't move. Gradually, lying there, he finally succumbed to sleep. Sakura's face was the last thing he saw.

I believe that qualifies as a cliffie! BWAHAHA! Lol. But fear not readers! I will post the next chappie immediately! Review please! And I say that cause I'm assuming that if you're reading this you prolly read the fic…:D


	6. Chapter 6

Hello! Back again for chapter 6! I'm so sorry, it's been ages! I know I said I'd update right away, but that didn't happen. I don't rly have an excuse…lack of motivation/inspiration…sorry…sigh…well here it is. :P Read and review plz! So again, I don't own Naruto *crying*…and here ve go!

_Recap: He wasn't sure what had happened that night. Only that he had gone out to rid himself of strange, unwanted feelings, and came back with twice the number roaring over him like a truck. What was he going to do? He sighed again, and clapped his hands once. Soft, tinkling music filled the air with a sweet melody. A second time, and the curtains closed. He clapped one last time. The lights winked out. He didn't move. Gradually, lying there, he finally succumbed to sleep. Sakura's face was the last thing he saw._

* * *

Sasuke woke to the sound of someone trying – and failing - to be quiet in his room. He opened bleary eyes and sat up stiffly. His clothes were now stuck to him, crumpled and still a little damp. He looked around for the intruder, and spotted a short someone moving towards him. Sakura? No. 'Sasuke! There you are!'

'Good morning Mother.'

She spun over to the curtains and yanked them apart, filling the room with bright light. He squinted in pain and shaded his eyes against the glare. Clucking her tongue, she swept over to him, and eyed him critically.

'So you were in that storm last night I see? I did wonder. I was looking for you, you know. And I was so surprised when I realized you'd gone out…' He looked at her.

'If you must know Mother, I was feeling a bit stressed so I went out. I was caught in the rain but my phone was dead, and so I…found somewhere to stay until I could get back.' She looked relieved.

'Good good. I just thought…no, no. Of course you were fine.' She smiled and patted his hair. And with that, she turned and left the room.

Sasuke sighed, running his fingers through his hair as soon as the door closed. He was a little irritated. True, he had done some stupid things after Itachi had left with _her_, but that didn't mean that every time he went out he would come home more bruises than skin, or so drunk that he couldn't walk. He got to his feet, and shuffled to the bathroom unbuttoning his shirt as he went. Perhaps a shower would clear his head.

As he stood under the spray, his first thought of the morning sprang unbidden to his mind. _Sakura_. He wondered at himself. The last time she had entered his bedroom she had slapped him. However, the thought of waking up to her made him smile. He snorted suddenly. _If being slapped like that is my idea of a pleasant wake up call, I must be turning into a regular masochist. _

He twisted the water off, toweled dry, and padded into his room. Sasuke opened his wardrobe and surveyed the suits within distastefully. It was Saturday and he simply didn't feel like working. Instead, he chose black training pants and a blue muscle t-shirt, feeling strangely drawn to the color. Sasuke decided that he knew how he was going to spend his day. He retrieved a duffle bag from the top of the wardrobe and opened a wooden chest to its left, revealing all manner of weapons. When he had stuffed the bag to its limit, he flung the door open and strode purposefully out into the hall. He'd better find Naruto.

* * *

Twenty minutes later he was outside Naruto's apartment knocking hard. Silence. Sasuke bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet. Finally he rolled his eyes and muttered 'Screw this.' He tried the handle. The door swung open. Another eye roll. Surprise surprise. Naruto was going to get some unwanted visitors one day if he kept leaving his door unlocked. Sasuke stepped gingerly into the dark passage.

A loud grunting noise came from within the house. He followed the wall with his fingertips, entering the kitchen. The smell of rancid milk assailed him, and he covered his nose, gagging. Eventually he reached Naruto's bedroom.

He moved in cautiously, stubbing his toe on something warm and fleshy. He swore loudly. In the gloom, he realized he'd tripped on Naruto himself. He was at least six feet away from the bed, snoring like a foghorn. Sasuke slid his duffle bag off his shoulder and let it fall onto Naruto's stomach. No reaction. Sasuke was getting annoyed. This was his excuse for a best friend? He kicked Naruto. Naruto shot up mumbling 'I didn't eat your ramen!' Sasuke chuckled. Typical. (A/N: sorry M.V. XD)

Naruto smacked his lips loudly and wiped a strand of drool from his mouth. 'Sasuke?' he said, looking up. 'What are you-'

Sasuke thwacked him on the head. 'Get up dobe, we're gonna spar.' Naruto gave him an incredulous look and then stared at the clock. 'At 10:30 in the morning? It's so early! And you mean to tell me you're not working?' Sasuke glared at him.

'My next sentence will be very rude so I suggest you move. How did you even get onto the floor anyway? And is that a teddy bear?' Naruto rose slowly, scratching his head.

'Yeah it's a teddy bear. Sakura-chan won it for me.' He stuck his tongue out at Sasuke. 'And I'm…a violent sleeper.' Sasuke smirked.

'You sleep with it every night?'

'No! Not every night…' Sasuke burst out laughing, and flicked on the light.

'Alright dobe. You've got ten minutes and then I'm off.'

'Yeah yeah teme…how'd you even get in here anyway?' Sasuke just laughed louder and walked out.

He continued turning on lights and stopped in the kitchen. Stacks of dirty dishes were piled in the sink. He edged closer. The topmost one had an interesting shade of blue fuzz growing on some unidentifiable piece of what might have been something resembling food in another life. Dozens of empty instant ramen cups littered the table and counter. There was a pair of crumpled boxers covered in little ninja penguins in a heap near the table. Sasuke grinned. Even Naruto must get some from time to time.

Naruto finally emerged, dressed, from his room, blinking, like a bear coming from its cave after a long winter. He opened the fridge, took out a carton of milk and chugged. And then spat it all onto the floor.

'Bleargh!' he cried. 'When is the expiration date on this thing? Ah. Two years ago.' Sasuke retched in his mind, as Uchihas didn't show such vulgar expressions of disgust.

'Naruto, I would say that I would hire a maid for you, but one look at this mess would kill any person in their right mind.'

'You're not dead.'

'Who said I was in my right mind?' Naruto smiled.

'Ramen it is then.'

'Is that all you ever eat?'

'No! Sometimes I eat soba noodles instead.' Sasuke groaned.

'C'mon dobe, get your stuff. I want to get there before all the good fields are taken.'

'Alright alright. Pushy in and out of the office.' Sasuke muttered something very rude under his breath. Naruto held up his hands in mock surrender, tossed the milk to the side, picked up his own bag, and led the way out the apartment.

* * *

The two of them finally arrived at the sparring fields, after having stopped at Ichiraku's. Sasuke headed straight to field 17, Naruto close behind. He stopped and shook the contents of the bag onto the ground. Naruto did the same. After they had both finished arming themselves, they looked at each other, nodded, and flash-stepped to different parts of the field. Sasuke flattened himself against the ground, trying to sense Naruto's chakra signature. Nothing. He crept silently forward to the very edge of the brush that was concealing him. It gave him a 270 degree view of the open space of the field, a fact that he planned to use to his tactical advantage.

Suddenly he spotted a flash of orange. There! He could see maybe thirty Narutos spreading out, everywhere, trying to find his own chakra signature. He snorted in his head. Amateur. No way Naruto could find him if Sasuke didn't want him to. With a series of hand signs too fast to be followed, he leapt high into the tree above, landing nimbly on a middling branch. He inhaled, chest swelling. 'Katon: Gokakyuu no Justsu!'

A blistering wall of flame roared toward the clones, incinerating them as soon as it hit. He grinned. The real Naruto shot out of the trees barely out of reach of the fireball below him. Sasuke quickly threaded three shuriken with metal threads, and flung them with deadly accuracy to stick in a tree that placed the threads directly under Naruto. He held the ends in his hands and whispered 'Chidori Nagashi!' A blue stream of electricity immediately crackled along the lines from his fist, filling his ears with a sound like birds chattering.

Naruto rolled in the air and yelled 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!' Immediately two clones landed beneath him on the wires. He pushed off one of them. They absorbed the full brunt of the lethal current and POOFed! into identical clouds of nothingness. Naruto used his second jump to throw something downwards.

Suddenly roiling clouds of thick, black smoke obscured any view Sasuke had. He swore. He squinted into the smog…was that…? Naruto was racing along the wires at full speed, chakra from his feet striking sparks against the chidori still running from Sasuke's hands. _Damn! _Sasuke jerked backwards and up, shoving off the trunk of the tree into the canopy above. Naruto's head whipped up, easily spotting Sasuke against the green, now that he had moved.

He sent four kunai rocketing towards Sasuke, as Sasuke formed a blur of seals. The kunai hit first, but Sasuke repelled them with a series of kicks. 'Katon Housenka!' he shouted. Little bursts of flame catapulted at Naruto. He recoiled, only to be confused when the fiery spheres disappeared. Instead, shuriken, streaking tails of smoke took their place. Sasuke landed gracefully on the ground and watched Naruto drop suddenly, and grab the strings, pulling them down sharply with his weight. All of a sudden he let go, and somersaulted to the ground. They snapped back, hitting the shuriken dead on. They spiraled off, thudding to the ground. 'Nice one teme!' called Naruto.

Suddenly the tip of a kunai pressed into the small of his back. He stiffened. Naruto's voice said happily from behind, 'Got you!' Sasuke rolled his eyes, and in his place a log clattered to the ground. Naruto swore. Sasuke ran at Naruto from his new position making no sound until the split second before he attacked. Naruto back flipped, aiming a kick at Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke rolled away and charged again. The clash of kunai resounded throughout the field as the two men struggled against each other.

* * *

An hour later, sweat pouring off both of them, Naruto called a temporary truce. Sasuke signaled his agreement by dropping to the grass laughing. 'Does this mean I win dobe?'

'No chance teme!' said Naruto toppling over next to him. 'That was great. It's been too long.' Sasuke nodded, sighing.

'Very impressive Naruto, Uchiha-san!' hailed a familiar voice. Both of them turned. Sakura's pink hair shone a little way off as she walked to them. She was wearing long, tight black pants and a sleeveless purple shirt. 'Sakura-chan!' exclaimed Naruto, bouncing to his feet and bounding to her. Sasuke observed this, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Naruto spun her around in a hug from which she extricated herself, giggling. Sasuke got to his feet.

'Miss Haruno.' He said. She waved.

'I didn't know you were trained as a ninja Mr. Uchiha!' she said. He shrugged.

'I've been training since I was a child. And you Miss Haruno? Were you training?' She smiled and nodded. 'Yes actually. With Tenten. I've been training since I was little too.' Naruto, unhappy at being ignored, said loudly,

'Did you see me cream teme, Sakura-chan?'

'I'm not sure cream is the word Naruto…'

'What are you talking about! I totally had him beat!'

'Looked more to me like you were the one who called time out.'

'You were watching the fight, Miss Haruno?' Sasuke asked. She looked at him.

'I wouldn't even have known it was going on but then there was suddenly this massive fireball…kind of hard not to notice. So I checked it out.'

He began to scrutinize the grass in front of him. He was suddenly very aware of the sweat running down his face and staining his shirt. She had seen the whole thing? What did she think? Was...Wait what? Where did that come from? He was close to smacking himself before he remembered she was still there, watching. Naruto, again annoyed, protested 'I promise I was about to beat him Sakura-chan!' She grinned.

'Were you?'

'You bet! I could take anybody!'

'Oh? Could you take me?' she challenged.

'Watch it Naruto! She's a vicious bitch in a fight! Thanks to her, I now have more bruises than I get in a month of training!' declared Tenten approaching them. Naruto made a skeptical noise in his throat. 'I've gotten better! I'm sure I could beat Sakura-chan.' Sakura stepped forward, adjusting her gloves.

'I believe the gauntlet has been thrown down Tenten. Mr. Uchiha, I will return your…whatever he is in a box.'

That said, she slammed her fist down into the ground. A crater rippled along the earth in a circle, shockwaves knocking Naruto over.

'No fair Sakura-chan! I wasn't ready!' he whined, picking himself up. She simply smirked and darted forward in a blur. She was there before he could react, and punched him solidly in the stomach. His whole body collapsed inwards and he flew back a good fifty feet. He crumpled, moaning.

Showing no mercy, she dashed at him again, grabbed his arms and swung him in a circle, releasing at the last second. He soared, flailing wildly. She pushed off the ground, corkscrewing in the air until she was above him, straight up. Then she dropped like a stone, driving her feet into his back. A huge dust cloud enveloped them. It cleared slowly, revealing a new, even larger crater. Sakura's head appeared. She pulled herself up, over the edge of the hole, and strode over to them dusting her gloves.

Tenten whistled. She was standing beside Sasuke by this point. 'Fifteen seconds. Wow.' Sasuke simply stared at her, openmouthed. Sakura stopped in front of them. 'And that is how you crack a nut.' She declared. Sasuke could practically hear the shock written all over his face.

'Damn. This means I owe you how much? I thought he'd be able to last at least thirty seconds.' Tenten grumbled.

'You can buy me lunch.' Said Sakura. Sasuke finally managed to speak.

'Miss Haruno- That was…amazing. I've never seen anything like that! To take Naruto out so easily…I mean, he's an idiot but he's very strong…' Sasuke trailed off. Sakura went pink.

'Thank you Uchiha-san. I-I don't know what to say…' she too, stopped and looked away. Tenten looked at the two of them interestedly. She cleared her throat. 'Is Naruto alright?'

Sakura glanced at her hurriedly.

'Yes…he should be. I didn't hit him hard enough to do more than batter him a bit.'

'More like bruise his ego.' Tenten remarked pointing. Naruto was limping slowly in their direction. Sakura rushed over to help him, wrapping his arm around her neck.

'You didn't have to be so rough Sakura-chan…'

'You shouldn't challenge girls.' She retorted. He looked like he was about to cry.

'Sasuke-teme just saw me get beat by a girl…oh he'll never let me live this down.' Sakura jostled him roughly, saying 'What does it matter that I'm a girl? Sexist pig.'

'Sorry Sakura-chan.' When they had finally hobbled all the way, Sakura let him down gently. 'Anything need healing Naruto?' she asked.

'I think you broke every bone in my entire body.'

'If your thick head's okay, I'm sure the rest of you is too.' Naruto responded to this statement by flopping back and lying still. Tenten said solemnly, hand over her heart 'Sakura, thank you. I promise I will never, ever let him live this down.'

'I agree dobe.' Sasuke said.

Tenten studied Sakura. 'Now what about lunch?' she said. 'Mr. Uchiha? Naruto? Come with us?'

'Sure Tenten!' Naruto had already brightened at the thought of food, as he had had only had three bowls of ramen for breakfast. 'How about ramen?'

No one bothered to say anything. 'C'mon Sasuke! Let's go with them!' Naruto had jumped to his feet. Sasuke looked askance at Naruto.

'This coming from he who was groaning all over my shoes five seconds ago?' Naruto grinned bashfully as Tenten stifled a giggle. 'As for your invitation Tenten, I'm not sure we-'

'He agrees!' exclaimed Naruto. 'Lead the way!' And he jogged off ahead. The rest of them followed, exchanging knowing looks.

* * *

The waitress placed an absolutely enormous, steaming bowl of ramen in front of Naruto, who was sitting next to Sasuke. He rubbed his chopsticks together gleefully. 'Itadakimasu!' he cried. Sakura stared at him, exasperated. 'You didn't even look at what else they served!' she said, ignoring the loud slurping noises Naruto made as he practically inhaled the noodles. Within seconds, he was finished. 'Not as good as Ichiraku's but it has its merits.' Sakura gave up. She laughed, shaking her head. Tenten simply rolled her eyes.

'Excuse me!' she called to the waitress, who had walked away but quickly re-appeared at their table. 'One sukiyaki please.' The waitress nodded and scribbled on her notepad. 'Miss?' she asked, addressing Tenten. 'Um, shabu shabu please.' More scribbling.

'And you sir?' she said, looking at Sasuke, fluttering her eyelashes. Sasuke merely replied, 'Onigiri.' without looking up. She left, swinging her hips left and right. Tenten coughed, and giggled. 'What?' asked Sasuke, irritated. She lifted her hands in a placating gesture. 'Nothing, nothing.' He rolled his eyes and looked away, trying to tune out the noise Naruto was making.

He looked back at the table, wondering why he had let himself be pulled into this, and found his eyes drawn to Sakura. Instantly, questions flooded his mind. First, he had seen her in battle, now knew her to be a woman of incredible strength, and obviously a trained fighter. If she had those skills, then that night, why hadn't she simply fought off her attackers? They had been drunk and none too skilled themselves if he remembered correctly. And it wasn't as if she would simply hold back. Just look at that delivery man. Could the experience have changed her that much?

She caught his gaze suddenly, and reddened a little, dropping her head. He looked away as quickly as possible, trying to feign disinterest. He glanced at her again after a second. She was still focused on her knees. He suddenly felt Tenten's curious stare. She was looking from him to Sakura and back again. He flinched, and glared at Naruto. 'Dobe, must you make so much noise? Didn't someone ever teach you that slurping is rude?' Naruto looked at him, unfazed by his outburst. 'And didn't your mother ever teach you that interruptions are rude?'

Tenten and Sakura snickered. Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, when the waitress returned to their table. She smiled widely at Sasuke, and placed the plate of onigiri in front of him, bending unnecessarily low so that he would have a full view of her impressive cleavage. He nodded his thanks, ignoring her not-so-subtle flirtation.

Seemingly unperturbed, she straightened and placed the other two dishes in front of Sakura and Tenten with considerably less ceremony before marching off to her other duties, but not before she had winked outrageously at Sasuke.

The two girls were having great difficulty restraining their laughter. 'Looks like you have an admirer Uchiha-san.' said Tenten. 'You might want to watch that drink. She looked pretty serious.' Sasuke shot her a death glare, and she promptly shut up, still giggling. Naruto, who had been completely engrossed in his fourth bowl of ramen, and hadn't noticed the waitress, voiced his confusion.

This simply earned him a smack to the back of the head. Sakura shook her head at Naruto, and broke her chopsticks apart delicately. As she began to eat, she wondered why Sasuke had been staring at her so openly. She watched him surreptitiously, without raising her head. He was wearing a blue shirt, she noted. One that showed off his muscles. She wouldn't have guessed that he owned anything so bright, especially after having been through his wardrobe. Come to think of it, she had a shirt of exactly the same shade. Hadn't she been wearing it last night? She shrugged it off as coincidence. The rest of their lunch passed with comfortable banter going back and forth.

* * *

When Naruto finally declared himself satisfied, (or too full to move particularly well) the group rose from the table after the bill had been paid with good natured muttering by Tenten. Sasuke had found a phone number encircled by little hearts causing more laughter from the two kunoichi and Naruto as well. (He'd finally cottoned on, and was hurt that the waitress hadn't given him the same treatment.) They walked the same way for a bit, until Sakura reached her turn off. 'Well, this is me. Thanks for lunch Tenten.' Tenten smiled.

'No problem.' Silence stretched between them for a few seconds. 'Hey Naruto!' exclaimed Tenten suddenly. 'We have that thing that we have to go do. C'mon.' She grabbed his upper arm with a vice like grip, and dragged him away waving cheerily, ignoring his loud and vehement protestations. Sakura had put out a hand to stop her, but either she hadn't noticed or purposely left anyway. She thought wildly _Oh no! I'm alone with him…It was ok while the other two were here, but what do I do now?_

Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, Sasuke faced her, and cleared his throat. 'May I walk you home Miss Haruno?' he asked. Sakura stared, caught off guard. That had been unexpected.

'Um, y-yes. I suppose so. But isn't it in the opposite direction from your home? I don't want to inconvenience you.' _Actually, I'm just afraid to be near you right now._ She thought unhappily. 'Oh no, it's no trouble.' He said. He wanted to ask her all the questions that he'd thought of at lunch, but not in the presence of the others who knew nothing of the incident. He wasn't exactly sure how best to approach the subject though, and began to walk, deliberating. Sakura caught up with him after a few steps. There was quiet between them for a few minutes, until Sasuke said,

'I was very impressed by your skills earlier today Miss Haruno.' She looked up at him, a little surprised, but smiled anyway.

'Thank you sir. I was quite impressed myself. I didn't really see you as the ninja type.' He chortled softly. 'I was taught to fight from a very early age. In fact, I wanted to be a ninja, but my father died, and I had to take over the company. That was my first sparring match in…well, a very long time.'

He looked at the pink head bobbing next to him. 'And you Miss Haruno? Why are you the assistant to a businessman if you can fight like that?' She smiled ruefully. 'That, sir, is a long story.'

Sasuke studied her. That question had been a veiled one. He had been trying to get information about why she hadn't fought off her attackers. But apparently she wouldn't let herself get caught so easily. He scanned the buildings around them. They were almost there. He looked up at the clouds, scudding windswept across a clear blue sky, and then back at her. _Oh screw it. _He thought. _I'll just tell her the truth. _He stopped.

She stopped too, a few paces ahead, and looked at him questioningly. He ran a hand through his hair. 'Listen – Miss Haruno – Sakura…after seeing that display, I know you are very capable of fending off an attack. That night…why didn't you simply get rid of them?' She dropped her head immediately.

'I don't understand sir,' she said quietly. 'I thought you were just passing by. Why does it matter to you?' He winced.

'I-I lied earlier…' he explained, hurriedly, embarrassed. 'I had been out for a few drinks and I heard a scream…normally I would have ignored it, because, I mean screaming drunks aren't exactly uncommon…' he was aware that he was babbling, and tried to continue more coherently. 'Anyway, I could just tell that something was different, and then I saw what they were doing to you and…' he paused, examining her.

She had hunched her shoulders, withdrawing into herself, and was still staring at the ground, her face turned away. Her shoulders shook. Too late, he tried to repair the damage. He reached out to her. 'Are you alright? I apologize…I…'

'No.' she whispered. He started. 'You…lied to me?' There was a strange noise, and Sasuke realized she was laughing, albeit a little hysterically. 'No,' she said again, 'You have a right to wonder…after all, you did rescue me.' Her voice was odd, and sounded flat, without feeling.

She continued, still not meeting his eyes, sounding emotionless. 'I was training as a medic-nin. There was a large squad returning to the village that day with several serious injuries. By the time I left that night, I was completely exhausted and had I used up any more chakra I wouldn't have been able to move. I hadn't brought any soldier pills with me. No one would have heard me if I had called for help. I was useless…' Her whole body was shuddering; an awful contrast to her tone, which was still completely lifeless.

'Totally helpless…' she whispered. Sasuke stared, horrified at what he had made her tell him. She looked broken. A powerful urge to wrap his arms around her and tell her that it would be all right struck him, but he knew he couldn't…shouldn't touch her. Not now. Not like this. He struggled to speak 'I…I'm so sorry.' He mumbled, lamely.

She shook her head violently. 'It's alright.' she said. 'Thank you for taking me home sir.' She looked at him, and smiled, though he could see the pain in her eyes. He ignored the little voice telling him that he shouldn't, and moved forward, hugging her hard. She let out a little gasp of surprise. 'I'm so sorry.' He said to the air above her head. 'Please forgive me for bringing it up.'

She pulled away, and peered at his face. This time, when she smiled again, the pain had receded. She murmured her thanks once more, and went up the stairs to her door, leaving Sasuke standing in the street below with a strange ache in his chest.

Hello! I hope that was alright! please r&r! sorry about the fight scene…I'm kind of bad at describing them, but I think it worked out alright. and also, sorry that I made it turn serious all of a sudden. I promise the next chapter will be mostly funny. Lol. review review review please! They keep the chapters coming.:) Flames are also welcome. Until next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello all my awesome readers! Thanks for the reviews and the love! You're all wonderful & I get so happy when there's a new review. I feel all warm and fuzzy. ;)

Morto Vivo: why thank you my dear. ;) xD yes, I had you in mind so I made him all cute and funny. Lol.

SasuSakuKawaii: I'm sorry…I didn't mean to upset anyone. I hope you enjoyed the rest though?

babymimi101: yes, I am sorry about that. I kept meaning to fix it, and then never getting around to it, but it should be better now. And thanks so much! I'm happy you like it.

Mewmewpowergirl12: Thanks! :D Much appreciated, and I certainly will.

Right, so here is chapter 7. :D As always, I don't own Naruto…because if I did, this random story arc that has an incredible freaking amount of NOTHING to do with ANYTHING would have been over a while ago. Mushrooms? Really? How desperate are they for a plotline, honestly…Also, this might just be my slowness, but can anyone tell me how ***SPOILER ALERT* (if you haven't seen up to episode 231 shippuuden, don't read) **all his friends are magically at the islands that he docks at, when he's taking so long to get to the land of lightning? I fail to see how this works…Oops….got a little off-topic…hehehe…back to the story. Enjoy!

* * *

Sasuke didn't sleep that night. He kept reliving the scene over and over in his mind. The expression in her eyes! He didn't want to think of the way she must feel – and what made it worse was that part of it – ok so that was an understatement - was his fault. But what to do about it?

After hours of tossing and turning, just as dawn was breaking he finally decided to go back to her apartment. Just to check and see that she was ok. This was the only solution he could think of that gave him a modicum of satisfaction. He gave up on the idea of any more sleep, and rolled out of bed, half his sheets trailing behind him.

Twenty minutes later he was walking out of the Uchiha complex. The sleepy guard propped against the wall gave him a half-hearted, floppy salute which he ignored. Then it occurred to him. He probably shouldn't barge in at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning. Literally. The sun had barely even risen. So he turned around and walked back inside, again ignoring the guard who this time shot him an irritated look – _What was the point of waking me up? _What the hell was he supposed to do until a 'reasonable' hour rolled around?

* * *

**Previous Night**

Sakura finally closed the door on Sasuke, and slumped against it, fighting the waves of emotion coursing through her. She hated the pity in his eyes as he watched her struggle to remain calm. She closed her eyes, feeling tears begin to leak from under her lids, and bit her lip hard. Pressing her hand against the wall, she slowly shuffled to the couch, and collapsed, breaking into sobs.

* * *

**And we're back…**

His constant had failed for the second time in two days. Work wasn't helping! He'd been appalled after he had seen the time. It was barely forty-five minutes after he had started. Obviously this plan wasn't going to work. He couldn't explain the anxiety he felt. He needed to do something. Anything. Running. Yes, that sounded like a good plan. He swept out of his office, feet already pounding out a rhythmic beat on the polished wood of the hallway.

An hour or two later – he wasn't sure of how long he'd been running, he finally stopped in a glade, hands on his knees, breathing hard. A glance at his watch told him it was now late enough that he could go and see her. _Finally._ Without further ado, he straightened, stretched and set off towards the city.

Sakura woke to the sound of insistent knocks on her door. She rubbed her eyes blearily, peering confusedly over the edge of the tangle of blankets. Bright sunlight was pouring into the room, successfully blinding her. She dragged herself off her bed, most reluctant to leave it, still wrapped in a blanket and yawning hugely on the way to front door. Who on earth would be here this early on a Sunday morning? The clock over her stove told her it was a little after 8 a.m.

The hammering at her door became louder, and a sliver of irritation worked its way into her head. It must be Ino. Except Ino would have simply let herself in, and screw politeness. Dropping the blanket, she yanked the door open, ready to meet the next dead body for the morgue - only to see her boss.

Sasuke dropped his hand as the door was suddenly wrenched open. Sakura stood framed in the doorway, eyes wide, mouth open slightly in surprise. She was wearing an oversized baggy t-shirt and boxers, hair up and falling all over the place. There was a blanket in a heap at her feet. He suddenly found himself not knowing what to say.

'U-uchiha-san? What are you doing here?' she asked, intensely aware of how she must look, having just rolled out of bed. He was staring at her; yet she couldn't read his expression. He looked completely composed. She suddenly realized she wasn't wearing a bra, and quickly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, hunching slightly, feeling extremely self conscious and fighting a blush. He cleared his throat, and began awkwardly 'Miss Haruno – well, yesterday you seemed very upset so I wondered…' he trailed off. Her eyes grew bigger.

'I – I'm fine, thank you sir…' She watched him, astonished. His face was inscrutable. He looked directly at her, and said 'Well then. I'll see you tomorrow at work.' She nodded slowly, utterly and completely confused. He stepped back, and she closed the door. Why on earth should he come to check up on her? She felt tears coming again, and had no idea why.

Sasuke leaned (Because Uchihas don't slump) against the low wall supporting the painted metal railing, staring out into the street below. He turned, only to see Sakura through the window, eyes closed, tears streaming down her cheeks. What the hell? Had he said something? They had had a three sentence conversation! Totally bewildered, he briefly considered knocking again, and asking what was wrong – but he couldn't. As quickly as possible, he hurried down the stairs, and continued his run.

* * *

**Monday Morning**

Sasuke stood backlit by the morning light in front of the glass wall in his office, quietly thinking. A loud bang made him turn. There was no one there…until he saw Naruto's head pop up from the floor. Evidently he'd just tripped over nothing and fallen into the office, knocking over a heavy side table. Sasuke snorted. 'And just when I was thinking about buying an elephant.' Naruto frowned at him, getting to his feet.

'It's your stupid table...thing!' Sasuke smirked.

'Well, I'll certainly have that 'thing' removed dobe.' Naruto stuck his tongue out at his best friend. 'So do you have something of value to say or are you simply here to destroy my office?' Naruto grinned.

'I'm here to tell you about the deal of your lifetime!' Sasuke showed his interest by lifting his left eyebrow. Naruto continued 'So you know that dinner coming up? The President of…' Saskue's thoughts began to wander, when he said abruptly 'Naruto, what makes a girl cry?' Naruto stopped talking, completely shocked. His jaw dropped and he gaped at Sasuke.

Sasuke, noticing the sudden silence, looked up to see Naruto staring at him like he had just expressed a fervent desire to become a ballerina. Naruto stammered 'Uh…I don't know…puppies, rainbows, unicorns…?' There was a knock on the open door. Both men turned to see Sai. Sasuke waved him in distractedly. 'What is it?' Sai smiled his plastic smile.

'Uchiha-san –' he started, when Naruto burst out,

'Sai, what makes girls cry?' Sasuke glared at Naruto, and hissed, 'Dobe, I say one thing and you go shooting your mouth off!'

Sai looked at the two of them with what could pass for interest. He considered, before saying, 'Well I'm not sure; I don't remember reading anything that girls cry about in particular. I'll be sure to look that up.' Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Leave…both of you.' As he said this, Tenten walked in.

'Who's leaving?' she asked. Naruto grinned at her.

'Tenten, Sasuke wants to know what makes girls cry.' Tenten stared at him for a full thirty seconds, and then at Sasuke. Then, finally, hands on her hips, voice ringing with disapproval, she said 'Uchiha-san, what did you do to Sakura?'

Sasuke jumped, and a rare, pale blush tinted his cheeks. His composure was slipping. (OMG! O_O) 'I –what – how?'

'Oh come ON.' She said scathingly. 'She's the only girl you'd be asking about. It's so obvious that you like her. There's so much tension between you two, it's like you're having sex with clothes on.' Naruto looked confused. His expression hardened, as he picked up one part of what Tenten had just said.

'Sasuke-teme, you made Sakura-chan cry?' he demanded.

'I didn't do anything! I walked her home on Saturday, after lunch and…anyway, I ended up seeing her Sunday too, and we had a three sentence conversation, and next thing I know she's crying!' Sasuke cried, feeling defensive. Tenten looked at him, and said in a voice that told him plainly how difficult it was for her to not roll her eyes, 'What exactly happened?'

Sasuke was really annoyed now. He wished he hadn't said anything. Why had he mentioned anything to _Naruto _of all people? The last thing he wanted was his employees psycho-analyzing him – let alone suggesting preposterous things. As if he even found Sakura attractive. Utterly nonsensical.

His eyes narrowed as he looked straight at Tenten. She didn't flinch, but looked coolly back at him, waiting for his answer. He jerked his head irritably at Sai and Naruto, gave the tiniest of shakes, and then said through gritted teeth, 'I asked her if she was all right, and when I turned around, I saw through the window that she was crying. I've no idea what happened.'

'And you didn't stop to ask her what was wrong? You just left her crying?'

'Well, - she - I – she said she was fine! And I had already said goodbye…what was I supposed to do?'

Tenten sighed, biting back a withering comment, 'I wouldn't worry too much sir – it sounds like she just had a minor breakdown. She'll be fine.'

Naruto had been watching the volley of exchanges like a spectator at a tennis match. He still looked lost – but angry at the same time.

'Teme!' he growled. 'What did you do to Sakura-chan?' His fists clenched at his sides. Sasuke rolled his eyes, exasperated, once more pinching the bridge of his nose.

'Go ask her if you're so desperate to know.' growled Sasuke. Naruto, for once keeping his mouth shut, marched through the adjoining door into Sakura's office, followed by a smirking Tenten, and Sai, once more expressionless.

* * *

Sakura was grumbling to herself at her desk, clicking through a massive inbox pile up, when suddenly her door flew open, smashing into the wall. Her head jerked in the direction of the doorway, various panicked thoughts running through her mind, until she realized that the someone – no someones – striding towards her weren't Sasuke.

Confused, she looked questioningly at the people in her suddenly crowded space. 'Naruto? Tenten? What the hell?' Naruto slammed his hands down on her desk.

'Sakura-chan! What did that bastard do to you?' Sakura's face was blank.

'Which bastard would that be Naruto?'

'Sasuke-teme! He said you were crying when he went to see you! I'll kill him if he made you cry!' Sakura dropped her head, cheeks flushing. _How did he see that?_ 'Well Sakura-chan?' he pressed.

'O-oh…um, no Naruto, h-he didn't do anything. Don't worry about it!' she faltered, smiling widely. Naruto's face cleared.

'Oh! OK Sakura-chan! If you say so. You're off the hook teme!' he yelled in the general direction of the open door. He returned her smile with a bright one of his own, and left the room. Tenten noted the smile slide off her face like oil as soon as Naruto's back was turned, shook her head, and resolved to sort the matter out before too much time had passed.

Grabbing Sai's arm, she dragged him out and away, ignoring his comments; 'Should I tell Naruto that she wasn't really smiling? I haven't really read up on this kind of situation…' His voice faded down the corridor.

* * *

Sakura gazed distractedly after her co-workers' retreating backs. She buried her face in her hands. As if there weren't enough times when she'd embarrassed herself in front of him. She pushed her hair back, furious with herself. Eventually she realized that the door was still open.

Clenching her jaw, she rose to close it. An inch before it clicked into place, a hand stopped it, and pulled it back. Sasuke stood there, impassive expression in place. She stepped back hurriedly. "Uchiha-san?" she said quickly. He didn't look at her, but instead gave the room a sweeping glance.

He hadn't been inside the office since her first day when he had emptied the contents of his file cabinets onto her desk. He took in the personal touches that had appeared over the course of the previous week.

There was a small, deep blue vase holding a bunch of white, violet and reddish-pink flowers that suffused the air with a sweet fragrance. A silver picture frame, decorated with thin, twisting metal vines, delicately twined around each other in the shape of an oval was propped next to it. He couldn't see the picture in it.

There was a large black and white pencil holder chock full of multi-coloured pens next to a stack of post-its in bright, neon colours. Post-its littered the desk and were stuck all around the rim of the large computer screen, most filled with neat, rounded handwriting. Suddenly, he spotted a little teddy bear on the desk that looked strangely familiar. Where had he seen it before? Of course! It was the twin of the one that he had seen in Naruto's house, though a different colour.

Trademark smirk sliding into place, he went past Sakura, and picked up the little bear by the ear in between his thumb and index finger. 'What may I ask, Miss Haruno, is this?' he asked, feeling amusement and irritation, though perhaps more irritation. Confusion flowed across her features, closely followed by a slight pink tinge in her cheeks. 'It's a teddy bear…I won it from a carnival.' She answered. He smirked even more. 'It looks rather like it should have a friend don't you think?' Her flush deepened.

Dropping the bear abruptly, he said 'Follow me Miss Haruno. You will attend a meeting with me.' She jumped, thrown off by the sudden change in topic, caught herself, and hurried forward to pick up a lime green case lying under a pile of paper. Sasuke waited no longer, and strode out.

* * *

Sakura followed, hurrying to keep up with his pace, annoyed yet again. _Asshole _she thought. _I bet he knows he's making me jog to catch up. And what was that in my office?_ She was right. Sasuke was perversely pleased that she had to take two steps to every one of his. Seeing that bear on her desk had made him feel childishly vindictive, and this was the first part of his chosen revenge. Besides, acting this way made it easier to deal with whatever he felt concerning Sakura.

The two of them arrived in front of a wide double door made entirely of wavy striated glass. Sasuke pushed it open, and let it swing back, ignoring Sakura completely. She barely caught it, and shot an angry glare at his back. Taking a deep, calming breath, she followed suit.

Inside the room there was a long, polished, hardwood table. Comfortable spinning chairs upholstered in black leather lined each side of the table. At each place, there was a glass of water, and more often than not, a notepad and pen. The room was filled with a multitude of dark-suited men talking quietly to each other.

Conversation stopped as Sasuke entered the room. He nodded to them, and most bowed and began to take their seats. One man gave Sasuke a jovial smile and wave. He was of middling height, with thick, wavy brownish-black hair, close set dark eyes, and a rather large, beaky nose. 'Uchiha-san!' he boomed genially, 'Good to see you…oh my! And who is this lovely young woman?' he inquired, having just spotted a frustrated Sakura who had come to stand next to Sasuke. He smiled, revealing very white teeth, and extended his hand. 'Very nice to meet you my dear. I'm Takahashi Kazuo. May I ask your name?' She grasped the outstretched hand and shook it. (yes I know, typical Japanese name. So sue me.)

'My name is Haruno Sakura. I'm Mr. Uchiha's personal assistant.' She said. He did not let go of her hand.

'My my,' he said, still smiling, 'you have such soft skin.' Sakura pulled her hand back as quickly as possible. 'Thank you sir.' She responded, trying to keep her tone even. This guy was really creepy. It was weird how he could show all his teeth and talk at the same time. He finally returned his attention to Sasuke. 'Sasuke-san.' He said, and bowed to them both before turning to his seat.

Sasuke watched this encounter without comment, but under his emotionless exterior, he very much wanted to hit the man. Controlling his impulse, he simply walked to head of the table and sat, ready to begin the meeting.

Sakura, feeling ever more vexed by the fact that the Asshole didn't even have the courtesy to tell her where to go, sat in a chair against the wall of the room. She unzipped the green case and folded it back to reveal a notepad and stationery in a little elastic band. At a word from Sasuke, the meeting began.

Fifteen minutes or so in, Sasuke pressed a button on the table, and a screen slid silently down. At the same time, a tile in the ceiling retracted smoothly, and a sleek, black projector descended from the hole. This served to sour Sakura's mood further. _Rich bastard…_she thought bitterly. 'Miss Haruno.' She looked up quickly. Sasuke was talking to her. 'Change the slides at my signal.' He said, pointing at a slim laptop on a podium that she had somehow missed. She glowered inwardly, and went to the podium.

Heads turned her way as those assembled noticed her. A wave of whispers washed through the room. The lights dimmed. Sasuke walked to the screen without a glance at her, and pulled a laser pointer from his pocket. He waved a hand haphazardly at Sakura who started the slideshow.

They continued in this manner until finally, an hour later, the presentation was over. The men applauded politely, and Sasuke inclined his head. He stepped away from the screen, and joined in the general flurry of activity, clearing his things away. He beckoned to Sakura without turning around. She scowled, but went anyway. He pushed everything into her arms, and then said 'Don't forget my laptop. And don't drop it whatever you do. It's very expensive.' Sakura had half a mind to tell him what he could do with his expensive laptop. She looked down at the pile she was carrying. On the very top, there was a little black remote.

'What is this Uchiha-san?' she asked, knowing full well the answer was going to infuriate her. But she needed to check. He flicked his eyes to the object in question, and smirked. 'It's the remote to change the slides.' He watched, feeling immensely satisfied by the outrage in Sakura's face. She couldn't say anything to him, and he knew it. He watched her swallow whatever she was longing to yell at him, and march stiff-backed, to the podium to collect his laptop. The corner of his mouth quirked up as he led the way out of the room.

* * *

Takahashi Kazuo watched Sakura walk from the room, bright interest in his eyes. He smiled again to the empty room.

* * *

Sakura sat, fuming, at her desk. She picked up a pen, and squeezed hard, not noticing it break and crumble into its component parts. What possible reason could he have for making her stand there unnecessarily when he could very easily have done the same thing himself using his stupid remote! What had happened to the friendly (relatively speaking), bantering (admittedly at her expense), and concerned (which was just weird) Sasuke of a few days ago? How in the name of all that was good and holy did she manage to have feelings for a…she struggled to find a word bad enough to describe him. If he wasn't her boss…she cracked her knuckles, and looked daggers at the wall, on the other side of which she knew there was a certain someone sitting smugly in his office. Or so she thought.

Sasuke was indeed sitting in his office. But he didn't feel smug at all. Rather, he was brooding. Overall, he was pleased at the way his little scheme had gone over. It was fun to make Sakura angry, and he was no longer irritated. But he was thinking of that awful, slimy man, Takahashi Kazuo. He had disliked him and the overly familiar way in which Takahashi addressed him before today, but for some non-discernable reason, his dislike had intensified strongly. He rested his chin on top of his steepled fingers, and closed his eyes. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to deal with him in the near future. Deciding what he needed was a coffee, without opening his eyes, he pressed the button on his phone.

Sakura saw the coffee button on her phone light up, and smiled tightly. She had a plan.

* * *

"Come in!" called Sasuke to the polite knock on his door, without looking up from his work. "Here you go Uchiha-san." His head snapped up. Sakura was standing in front of him, holding his coffee. _Not again_ he thought, eyeing her warily. _I won't fall for the same trick twice._ He smirked, thinking that he would take a deep drought from it, and watch her face as his second victory for the day unfolded. He reached for it.

She waited until his fingers were touching the cup, before pushing the bottom gently with one chakra infused finger. It tipped immediately, the brown liquid soaring in a great arc over the desk, and drenching Sasuke's head and shoulders completely. _Bulls eye._

Shocked, he sat there dripping. Sakura's hands flew to her mouth – she was seemingly horrified – until she burst out laughing. Green eyes met black as he glared. "You think this is funny?" he hissed. She shook her head hurriedly, biting her lip, fighting to hold it in. Sasuke pulled off his tie, furious, but he would not let her win. Letting no emotion show on his face, he rose and pushed the tie into her hand. 'You'd better go to my room and bring me a new shirt." He said in a tone that did not invite argument. Still trying to stifle her laughter, she nodded, and backed out of the office.

* * *

_Oh sweet revenge_…She thought to herself, jauntily making her way to Sasuke's bedroom. She wasn't even bothered that he'd sent her to bring him clothes. Giggling again at the thought of the look on his face, she turned the handle, and walked into the room. It looked much as it had the first time and last time she had entered – the bedsheets and quilt were twisted together on the floor, pillows flung carelessly aside. Evidently Sasuke was a restless and violent sleeper.

She went to the massive wardrobe, and pulled the doors open. Rows upon rows of shirts stared her in the face. She cast a critical eye over them. _He must have something better…he's a freaking billionare. _She thought. So she began to rummage, and finally emerged, triumphant, a pale lavender shirt clutched in her hand. _Next, a tie._

The drawers below the shelves were her next victims. She smirked at seeing some of the more gaudy ties in them, but selected one in a deep, bold purple covered with swirls of black. Armed with the requested – or rather ordered pieces of clothing – she walked back to Sasuke's office, opened the door, and opened her mouth to speak – when suddenly, her breath caught in her throat.

* * *

Sasuke stood by the transparent wall, bare back to Sakura. Bare, pale, _perfect_ back. He raised his arms, and stretched, lean muscles rippling under his skin. Silhouetted by the sun coming through the window, his outstretched arms created deep shadow on his desk and chair. _Just like wings_ she thought _My dark angel_. Without warning, he spoke. "Are you just going to stand there while I freeze?" Startled, she asked,

"How did-?"

"Your chakra. And did you think I was deaf?" She glared, annoyed. He turned, smirking at the expression on her face. Cursing herself inwardly, she shoved the clothes into his hands, and crossed her arms, glowering. His smirk widened. He looked at the shirt she had brought.

"Purple?" he asked.

"It's my favourite colour." She replied curtly.

"Oh? And is there a reason that you're dressing me in your favourite colour?" She shot him a hard look.

"Well I had to _try _to add to the décor. If you don't like it, then you should have gotten it yourself." She snapped, and then gasped. She had just seen his chest. There was a large, red, raised burn on his skin, presumably where the coffee had struck. "Oh!" she cried. "Is that-? I'm so sorry! Let me heal it!" He cocked his head to one side.

"Is this a guilty reaction? I certainly hope that little incident wasn't on purpose." Sakura flushed.

"N-not at all. I just – I mean, you're hurt and I can help so…" she trailed off, ducking her head. He snickered, and beckoned her closer. She stepped forward, suddenly feeling guilty.

Chancing a quick look at his face, she saw that his normally unfathomable dark eyes sparkled with amusement, and he was almost smiling. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and placed her palms lightly on his chest. Her hands began to glow softly with healing green chakra. Sakura focused on healing. She definitely wasn't thinking about how hard, muscular and warm his chest felt, or his even breathing, or the feel of his skin under her hands. No. She definitely wasn't thinking about that…

Sasuke found himself studying Sakura's heart-shaped face, illuminated by her chakra, granting her an otherworldly look. Her eyes closed, long lashes just brushing the edges of high cheekbones. Her elegantly shaped eyebrows were furrowed slightly in concentration. A light, rosy blush adorned her cheeks, in contrast to the rest of her pale, porcelain skin. Her full pink lips curved up naturally. A few strands of hair had come loose from her braid, waving gently as she breathed. She was beautiful, exquisite he suddenly realized.

Her eyes snapped open, and he hurriedly looked away. "There!" she proclaimed chirpily. "I'm done." He glanced at his chest. There was no trace of the burn. "Uchiha-san?" she said. He unwillingly looked at her. She was regarding him curiously. "Are you all right? I ask because I felt your chakra start to fluctuate, and your breathing suddenly became a bit unsteady."

He coughed. "I'm fine. Thank you Miss Haruno." He said quietly. They both realized their continued proximity at the same moment, and quickly stepped back.

"No problem." She said, smiling sweetly. "And really, I am sorry about spilling it on you."

Sasuke was completely disarmed by her smile. He was already flustered from his previous revelation, and quickly began to examine his chest to avoid meeting her eyes. What the hell was this? No one was supposed to be able to cut through his formidable Uchiha cool! Especially without actually doing anything. "Hn." He replied, running his fingers over the new skin. Inwardly, he was impressed, though he wouldn't admit it. He could no longer feel any pain.

"Would you like me to call someone to clear up the coffee?" she asked. He nodded tersely, anxious for her to be gone, for space to understand what had just happened.

She darted through the connecting door, closing it carefully – and then collapsed heavily on the other side, clutching at her chest. Her heart was racing like she had just shot up with adrenaline. He had been staring at her as she healed him. Her eyes had been open the tiniest crack. She had watched as his expression changed rapidly from an annoying (sexy as hell) smirk, to contemplative, to confused, to something unfamiliar, unreadable, and then…a tiny blush.

It had been intense. Far too intense. How could anyone not squirm under the full power of those gorgeous, stygian eyes?

Feeling herself begin to freak out, she had desperately grabbed onto an excuse to get out of the office, while still trying to act normally – which hopefully she had managed. Something vibrated on her leg. She shot up off the floor, clapping a hand over her mouth to prevent herself screaming.

_I'm coming up, so you better get this party started!_

_I'm coming up, so you better get this party started!_

_Get this party started on a Saturday night…_

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that it was just her cellphone, which quickly turned into a gasp of horror as she suddenly noticed the ringtone, and who it belonged to. Oh shit.

* * *

Haha! Cliffhangers! Aren't they great? Suspense is a wonderful thing. ;) Also, I know the coffee thing is getting kinda old, but the chapter wrote itself that way, slash I hope you enjoyed the fluffiness I put in…Now see the little review button? Yes, right there. Come on click it…you know you want to! Lol, till next time!


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